Science and Magic
by Cipher1998
Summary: Momonga and his friend have been transported to the new world to their surprise. How will they react to the situation? Bringing hundreds of years of human ingenuity with him, how will Sypher's knowledge with the power of Nazarick change the world. (More details in preface)
1. Prologue and The New World

**Preface** : Hello internet. This is a slightly more detailed summary than is fitting for the story caption. Like numerous other fanfictions on this site, it involves Ainz coming to the new world with an OC guildmate. As such, I'll probably speed through the details of the first four or five novels for interest. The original idea for this fanfiction was, how would overlord play out if Ainz acted strategically and actually wanted "project utopia" from the beginning. However, I felt that removing the "nervous goofball" factor, for lack of a better term, of Ainz would detract from the story. As such, my OC was introduced and, as you can probably tell by the title, has knowledge of science and engineering. Inspired by _A Chemist in King Ainz's Court,_ by The Blight, but focusing on more engineering and political strategy plays. (Insert obligatory disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except for my OC) Hope you enjoy!

 **Prologue:**

It was 11:30 PM on the day Yggdrasil would shut down. The DMMORG that had taken the world by storm 12 years ago and held its popularity was coming to a close today due to waning popularity. In The Great Tomb of Nazarick, there was a large meeting room with a red crest laid into an exquisitely crafted white table. There were 41 chairs surrounding the circular table although only 2 were filled for the final night of the game. The two players sitting were Momonga and Sypher. Momonga was the guild master of Ainz Ooal Gown, once the 9th ranked guild in Yggdrasil with 41 members, now fallen significantly lower with 37 members quitting the game. Sypher was one of the few members left, and despite his love for the game, he still found it difficult to due to his job as an engineer. While he was definitely lucky to get an interesting job, at least one he considering interesting, near project deadlines the hours got brutal and hardly left any free time. The only reason he was able to log in for this night was that a project deadline got moved back due to budget constraints. It appeared the two of them were the only ones to stay for the closing of the game. HeroHero had already come by to say his goodbyes but had to go because of the oppressive schedule his job dictated.

"It's too bad that more people didn't stop by for final moments of the game," Sypher stated while looking at Momonga.

"I know most of them had quit over the last couple years, but I was still hoping there would be more than just two of us," Momonga stated dejectedly. He looked around the room and froze on the guild weapon behind him. "This is our home, we spent thousands of hours and even real money to make this place the best it can be. But they all turned their backs on it so easily."

Sypher knew what was going through his head. Unlike him, Momonga worked a regular salaryman job with no other purpose than continuing to survive. For him, Yggdrasil gave a sense of purpose and community that was rarely found in the corrupt and destroyed world they called home. The two of them actually knew each other in real life from before Yggdrasil, as such, he and Momonga ended up talking about more personal topics with each other as needed. "Momonga, you know it's not their fault. One of the requirements for the guild was they had to be functioning adults. As such they have jobs and other people in real life they care about," Sypher stared blankly. The words stung as he said them. Like Momonga, Sypher didn't have any family or friends in the real world to spend time anymore, but he knew that even without Yggdrasil he could still drown himself in work to keep busy.

"I know but it still hurts," Momonga said with a heavy sigh.

"It's 15 minutes till shutdown, should we do one final round and go to the throne?"

"Sure."

"Oh. Since it's the end anyway, it only seems fitting that you should equip the guild weapon, _GuildMaster._ " Sypher said with a grin.

"Hmm, are you sure? I mean all of us worked so hard to get it, it's only fitting that it sits on a pedestal"

Sypher rolled his eyes. He knew about Momonga's collector sense and figured it was getting the better of him "Yes, bonehead. Like HeroHero said, you are the one that kept this place up and running the past couple years so we have a home to come back too.

"Ok if that's what you say," Momonga said with an expressionless smile.

With that, the two toured the halls of Nazarick one last time, finally coming to the path to the throne room. They were met with a row of maids and a butler.

"Oh yeah, the Pleiades and Sebas Tian", Momonga said with a nostalgic tone "In the end, the end no player managed to make it to them".

"Well, the 8th floor is pretty hard to clear after all with all the ridiculous NPCs there. As a side note, was it just me that took far too long to notice that Sebas' name is just Sebastian split into two", Sypher said with a half-sheepish smile.

"Ha ha", Momonga gave a light chuckle to his friends, "Unfortunately not". He returned the smile as both of continued to the throne room with Sebas and the Pleiades in tow.

Ainz and Sypher entered the intricately detailed throne room with 41 massive banners on the walls and walked up to the throne. Ainz sat on the throne with the staff and the guardian overseer Albedo to his left and Sypher standing on his right.

"That's Tabula's NPC right? What was she like again"

Momonga used the guild weapon to pull up Albedo's settings. "Jesus that is a wall of text. I know Tabula was into details but this is ridiculous." He scrolled all the way to the bottom. "Uhhh"

"What's up?"

"Apparently she's a slut", Momonga said with an expression that words cannot describe

"Huh, well then to each their own I guess?"

"We should probably change that, " Momonga deleted the line and everyone returned to their previous positions.

Sypher was a doppelganger similar to Pandora's Actor but with an assassin and support build. Inwardly smirking, he changed his appearance to match Pandora's Actor with one change. He had an old fighter jet insignia from the 2000s on his cap as a homage to an old game he once played.

He turned to Momonga and struck a ridiculous pose while shouting, _"zum Ruhm von Nazarick!"_ in the most German accent he could muster. Momonga buried his hands in his face and gave a blush and then pouty emoticon while Sypher was almost rolling on the floor with laughter.

"Sorry, sorry, but your embarrassment over Pandora's Actor never gets old." Sypher stated while giving a 'face with stuck out tongue emoji'

"Oh shush," Momonga said while smirking "You know what" Momonga entered Albedo's settings. "She is madly in love with Sypher."

"Oi Oi, that too much don't you think"

"Well, you can be embarrassed by an NPC now too."

"Whatever" he playfully shrugged off while looking at the time. "Well, one minute to go. It was a good run, I hope to see you in the near future."

"Likewise my friend, have a good life."

.1.2.3

"Huh," Momonga and Sypher thought at the same time as they stared at the game that should have been gone.

"Whaaaaaaaaat"

 **Chapter 1: The New World**

Both players opened their eyes and looked around. They were still in Yggdrasil. "What's going on," Sypher exclaimed with shock as Momonga could only stare in confusion.

"Could it be they delayed the server shutdown—?" Momonga gesture wildly to try to open the menu to open the menu.

"...What the hell is going on!?" Sypher said while facing Momonga.

"Your mouth moved."

Before he could react, Sypher was interrupted by another voice. "Is something wrong my lords?" The voice belonged to Albedo. They both stood in shock. First, their mouths are animated and now and NPC is acting on its own.

Out of nowhere, a green light bathes Momonga and he settles into the throne. "Sebas, stand up." After seeing Sebas reacts he continues "Go outside and secure the perimeter of Nazarick and Pleiades guard the 9th floor."

The NPCs all responded immediately, "Yes my lord"

"Albedo come to me"

"Yes my lord", Albedo responded calmly, however on the way she shot a smile at Sypher that he noticed.

Once Albedo was at the throne, Momonga grabbed her wrist and then let go in shock after a minute. "She has a pulse."

Sypher now somewhat more alert, tried to use a [Message] spell. He was surprised when he got a response. "Momonga is that you?"

"Sypher, what's going on I can hear you but you aren't talking?"

"I tried using [Message] _,_ seeing as how everything else makes no sense I want to see what is the same." Sypher had calmed down a bit and figured that considering they could feel small impulses, smell, and converse with NPCs freely, this wasn't Yggdrasil and was beyond the reach of any technology they had even in 2126. "Albedo please leave us alone for some time."

"Yes, Lord Sypher," Albedo stated and went towards the door, "remember that I am available for you _whenever_ you want me." She added in a sultry tone before leaving.

"Ok what the actual hell is going here." Momonga exasperated.

"I'm just as confused as you are but we do know somethings," Sypher paused to gather his thoughts. "We are still in what appears to be Nazarick, but the NPCs look and feel alive, more so than before, and they respond to commands and act in ways that were definitely not programmed in the game or possible with the technology. I mean we have our full range of senses for christ's sake", he said while thinking about Albedo's exit. After a pause to think, "As unlikely as this sounds, our minds must have been placed in another world that is like Yggdrasil with the guild base and our game avatars."

Momonga paused for a minute before responding, "Honestly I was thinking something similar, this entire situation is so bizarre. I mean it looks like [Message] still works but what else does?".

"I think the first thing we need to confirm is our safety, are all the denizens of Nazarick loyal to us. As far as I remember, some of them could definitely hurt us maybe even kill us in a fight and we don't even know if our old skills work." After pausing for another minute, Sypher continued "I think that we should go to the Arena on the sixth floor to test our skills. It'll also give a chance to see if Nazarick is still intact."

"Right," Ainz responded

Both players activated their guild rings to try teleporting to the 6th floor Arena. After a flash of light, they were both pleasantly surprised to find that it worked.

"It seems our teleport rings work," Sypher said with a breath of relief

"I'm going to go check out the other floors just to make sure everything is alright. I'll message you if anything is wrong." Momonga said as he teleported away.

Sypher was still in his Pandora's Actor form from earlier so he decided to change to his normal avatar. He tried to visualize and morph his current form into his avatar. As expected, it took a couple tries and the first few botched attempts were surprisingly painful but not debilitatingly so. He finally got it down and morphed successfully into his usual assassin build. His avatar stood about 5' 10" and was an average build, not too muscled, but was still toned due to his assassin and ninja skills. His gear was a black bodysuit with a single blood-red stripe on each arm and leg and a matching helmet. The red lines were merely cosmetic and toggled them off using a skill when fighting. The suit itself had to be light due to his class and skills but was made of heavily enchanted metallic fibers so could defend against anyone below level 80. He also had his collection of weapons in his inventory. He mentally prepared himself and stepped into the large arena. After taking in the scenery was met by the guardians of the floor; Aura Bella Fiora and Mare Bello Fiore.

"Welcome to the sixth-floor arena Lord Sypher!" Aura stated energetically

"Hello, you two. How is everything today?" While Sypher was still on his guard while confirming the loyalty of the other members of Nazarick, he still viewed the two dark elves as children and as such acted kindly.

"We are doing great today!" Aura exclaimed.

"Y-Yes everything is in order on the 6th floor," Mare replied sheepishly while tugging on his skirt. Sypher could still not believe this was a boy.

"Good, one moment please," Sypher said as he suddenly had a thought. [Message] . "Momonga are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here," Momonga replied.

"I just checked in with Aura and Mare on the 6th floor. They don't seem openly hostile just like the other NPCs so far. Is it the same on your end?"

"Yeah everyone has bowed and referred to me as 'lord' so things are looking good."

"Good, I think we should meet with all the guardians. Can you message Albedo and tell her to gather everyone but Victim and Gargantua to meet in the 6th floor in 2 hours. Make sure you come before then to test out your skills." Sypher asked Momonga

"Ok, I'll be there once I finish with the 1st to 4th floors."

"Good see you then," Sypher responded as he cut off the _Message_.

"Aura, I wish to test of some of my skills. Can you prepare some level 30 golems and get some level 80 summons for practice." Sypher asked.

"Right away lord Sypher" Aura responded as she ran off.

When she returned with the golems and monsters, Sypher had them spread out and got out a small katana. It was only a legacy class item that was enchanted for additional damage. In combination with his level 100 skills, however, he estimated that he should be able to one hit a level 30 despite higher defense against slashing attacks and cause noticeable damage to the level 80 monsters. He prepared one of his moves [Chain swift strike]. It was a high-level move that could target up to 5 enemies in sequence while still providing a powerful blow. If everything worked like the game, Sypher figured he should be able to handle the 5 golems and be on the other side of the area in a flash. As he activated the skill he immediately felt his legs spring forward and an immense pressure on him. In the game, the sense of touch was reduced so the users would still be able to distinguish from reality, but now he was sure he would pass out from the sudden acceleration. As he closed his eyes and prepared for the worst, he found himself in one piece on the other side of the arena and all 5 golems in pieces. Before he could respond he heard a voice.

"Woooaaah! That was amazing lord Sypher," Aura exclaimed like a child who had just seen their favorite athlete do something.

"Nonsense that was merely a simple skill. The weapon isn't even my main one." Sypher responded while calming back down.

"Exactly! Even while holding yourself back you can dispatch enemies in the blink of an eye." Aura responded.

"Ok then," Sypher responded unsure of how to refute the child. He continued to test some of his other skills to confirm they work the same and gradually his body got used to the new and heightened senses. He also got accustomed to the pocket dimension that was now his inventory. He was still struggling to come to terms with the fact that he was now in a fantasy world.

Momonga came by soon after and verified that all his skills were working as well. After a small break, they decided to start prepping for the meeting with the guardians. They had decided to communicate via [Message] for all conversations in public until they had a better grasp of the situation.

"Momonga you're done with your tests?" Sypher asked inquisitively.

"Yeah, but I have a question for you before we continue," Momonga replied in a somber tone.

"Yes?"

"If this is a different world, do you think we should try to return to our old one?" Momonga asked "Personally I had nothing going for me there but Yggdrasil and if that is gone then it might be better just to live here in this fantasy world.

Sypher frowned, this was a serious topic and he was all kinda still hoping this was a dream. "Honestly I'm not sure. I mean you know that my lot isn't that much better than yours since I would just end up drowning myself in work." He paused for a bit before continuing "I can't say for certain but I definitely haven't ruled out staying here as an option. Anyways back to the topic of the guardians."

"Right. They all seem loyal to us and can act outside of their base commands. However, after some thought, it does seem like their personalities are controlled by the backstories written for them." Momonga paused before realizing what he did earlier, while silently cursing himself for changing the settings his friend wrote: "Uhh, sorry you may now have Albedo chasing after you if the other NPCs are anything to go off of."

Sypher sighed and thought for a minute before continuing "It's fine we can worry about that when it becomes a problem. Let's open with asking about their loyalties to confirm their actions and then figure out from there. Good?"

"Yes, that seems fine," Momonga replied, still somewhat perturbed by his earlier actions knowing they are now real.

As Sypher and Momonga stood at the raised outer ring of the Arena, with the guild weapon between them as the guardians lined up one by one, with Albedo leading in the front and kneeled before them.

"We the guardians pledge our loyalty to our lords and masters, the supreme beings."

Both Sypher and Momonga were taken aback by this display, so much so that Momonga accidentally released his despair aura out of nervousness. Sypher quickly tapped him on the back to hoping nobody noticed before picking up the conversation.

"Yes, we are pleased with your loyalty. Momonga would you like to give your response to the guardians?" Sypher said in the most kingly voice he could manage. His main form was still a humanoid because it was advantageous in the game so his voice had not changed too much from the real world. He was aware of this and also that Momonga's voice got noticeably deeper and his appearance as an Overlord with Divine class gear definitely made him more intimidating as a ruler.

Momonga now out of his trance responded: "Yes, both of us thank you for your continued loyalty and hope that you continue to serve us as you have in the future."

"Your thanks are wasted on us as all of us would lay down our lives to serve you." Albedo replied, still kneeled. All the other guardians nodded in agreement.

"Anyways" Momonga cleared his throat, "Sebas is back with a report of our surroundings. Sebas if you will"

"Yes Lord" Sebas replied from the side before continuing "It appears that Nazarick is now in the middle of flat grasslands for 1 km around and forests past that. There are also no creatures or buildings within the kilometer."

Everyone present was noticeably surprised by this and stood silent until Sypher spoke up.

"Very good Sebas." Sypher stopped before turning to Momonga and nodding then to the guardians. "It is as Momonga and I thought, Nazarick has been transported to a different world. We must be on guard. Move Nazarick to the highest security level." This conversation continued to discuss strategies to hide Nazarick. Despite Albedo's initial protest, Mare's idea to disguise Nazarick as a hill was chosen.

Sypher started to conclude the meeting "Before we go, we want to know something. In your own words, What kind of people are we to you?"

"The supreme beings are beauty incarnate", Shalltear said with a blush.

"Beings whose skills and knowledge exceed those of any guardian", Cocytus replied

"Compassionate and thoughtful", Aura responded.

"Kind and merciful," Mare said.

"Rulers who can act quickly and wisely" Demiurge responded with a smile.

"Beings who are willing to stay with us till the end," Sebas said while still bowing

"Lord Momonga is the leader of all the supreme being and Lord Sypher being the most intelligent, as well as the man to whom my heart belongs," Albedo exclaimed, almost fanatically.

"Ri… Right" Momonga stuttered for a second before returning to his regal voice. "Then go work faithfully to protect us and the great tomb of Nazarick". He and Sypher then teleported away.

After the meeting with the guardians, all of them had set off to do their appropriate tasks.

The two players turned rulers had to have their own meeting. To prevent eavesdropping, they met in Momonga's study.

"Ok, I'm starting to regret the whole supreme being roleplay act we programmed into the guild NPCs. I mean if they think we are literal gods and follow our actions too much, it could be bad for everyone involved." Sypher said with a worried expression.

"Yeah." Momonga nodded with an exasperated look "I'm worried about not living up to their expectations." He shook his head and slapped his face to forget about it given the new task in front of them. "Before we start with scouting there was one weird thing I notice about me. It seems that whenever I feel strong emotions they get suppressed like magic."

"Really? Is it for all emotions?"

"Well, I'm not sure if it is for all emotions. So far it's just for fear and nervousness"

Sypher thought about this for a moment before responding. "Hmm. Well, you're undead, right? Undead should have racial passive to mental status debuffs so maybe strong emotion is considered a debuff and it is automatically 'healed' so to speak."

Momonga thought and said in response "That would be quite annoying."

"Well, it's just a theory I had. Personally, I haven't had any changes like that myself but we should keep note." After getting a nod from Momonga he continued. "We should start to look at the surroundings. We have a mirror of remote viewing right?"

Momonga racked his brain. "There is one near the throne room I believe. We also have a spare one in the treasury so we can split the searches."

"Good thought. I'll head to the treasury and meet you in the throne room then."

"Right."

With that, the two started to survey the surroundings for additional information. Because of Momonga's undead nature, he didn't need to eat or sleep. For Sypher, he used a ring of sustenance to continue without food or sleep so that he could continue working until Nazarick was secure. And while he didn't say it out loud, he wanted to stick with Momonga to keep each other's sanity until they got used to their situation in this world. At the Sebas' fervent request, the two of them had let standby to assist them at all times, meaning they had to make sure not to drop the facade. It took a few hours just to use it without their usual menu and even after that most of their search came up as grasslands or forest with a few low leveled monsters here and there. If they were the same as Yggdrasil, even the POP monsters would be able to handle them. After over 24 hours of searching, Momonga settled on something interesting.

"What's that?" Sypher asked while shifting over to Momonga's mirror to get a closer look. He could see people running around a small village.

"A festival perhaps?" Ainz hoped.

"I don't think so," Sebas stated coldly from his point.

Upon zooming in, one could see armored men indiscriminately slaughtering the villagers. The fact that he and Ainz only continued to stare upon the horrifying scene made Sypher realize something. "Sebas please leave us for a minute. This is an order" he said in the most commanding tone he could muster.

As Sebas bowed and exited Sypher exclaimed "Momonga I think I figured out something!"

"I think I'm on the same page with you," Momonga stated as if he had just made a terrible realization.

"I'm going to keep this quick. Neither of us reacted to seeing the villagers being slaughtered where if we were human we might have thrown up at the sight. On top of that, I barely wanted to help them or felt bad for them."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I didn't feel anything. I guess that means our avatars are affecting our mental states as well." Momonga said while looking at his bony hand.

Sypher cleared his throat before continuing "I believe you karma was -500 and mine is around -100. It matches up with our responses to the scene. I think we need to look into this later, but first, we should save the villagers."

"I thought you didn't feel much for them."

"Well yes, I said that however, the humans there can be a good source of information for this world. Definitely better than just scrying our surroundings and hoping for the best." While Sypher was talking he internally pondered the fact that he referred to them as humans instead of people. Like he didn't consider himself human anymore. 'Whatever a thought for another day'

"Yes, but we don't know how strong they are?" Questioned Ainz.

"This is a good chance to test our strength against the world. If our scrying is anything to go off of these men should be pretty low level and if anything strong appears we can teleport out of there." Sypher stated in a hurried tone.

"Right. Sebas," Momonga continued once Sebas entered the room again "Tell albedo to meet me fully armored and prepared for battle. Also, have reserve forces trained in stealth to be on standby."

"Yes my Lord."

Sypher turned into his angel form that was mainly meant for healing with light attacks. His transformation skills and levels are similar to Pandora's actor in the sense that he can mimic 80% of the strength of a level 100 player. However, he had a greater variety when compared to Pandora's Actor because he prioritized function over roleplaying. A Seraph Aesphere, similar to a Seraph Empyrean but focused on support and healing magic rather than attack. He chose this transformation because its attack skills were still good enough to handle anything level 60 and below and could heal which he figured could be used to get in the human's good graces. Anything higher than level 60, either Momonga or Albedo could handle it.

Momonga opened a [Gate] to the village outskirts and Sypher stepped through.

* * *

 _Well, that's the prologue and the first chapter is done. It's still somewhat close to the original story at the end of chapter 1 but things will really start to change at the end of the next chapter. Please let me know if you are interested and leave a review with your thoughts and any suggestions or comments about the story. This is my first fanfic so leave suggestions for things like formatting and writing style as well if you have thoughts on those. The story will probably update at least once a week for the near future if people like it._


	2. A New Goal

Chapter 2: A new goal

* * *

 _Authors Note: Happy to see that people are liking the idea of science or fantasy world. The science stuff will start soon once the plot diverges from the original so let me know if there are any particular tech things you want to see and I'll try to work it in._

* * *

 _ **Carne village outskirts**_

Enri looked at the broadsword that was arched over her and her sister. She curled up over her sister in hope that she could protect her but that hope was fading. She couldn't see any hope for them so just prayed for a miracle.

Expecting it all to end, she is surprised to see the knights back stagger backward with worry. She turns and sees a pitch black circle that looked like a hole in the world itself. A bright, almost blinding flash, comes through the portal. Everyone present could only stare in awe, an angel with six white wings, dressed in exquisite white and golden armor floated through the gate and stood in front of the two girls. Enri stared wide-eyed and thought "A miracle."

When Sypher teleported using [Gate], he didn't expect to be met with enemies right after coming through the gate. He figured he would have a few moments to collect his thoughts and put on the appropriate act. That's why he was caught off guard right after teleporting. He had walked in on the middle of two soldiers about to kill a pair of scared, unarmed children. His anger at the situation actually surprised him. He was angry towards the soldiers who would do such unspeakable actions, and sad for the victims as well. Sypher wondered why he felt nothing earlier while looking at the scene through the mirror, but decided it would join the long list of things to ponder later.

He turned to the now cowering soldiers, flaming longsword in hand, and used an item to make his voice sound deep and intimidating. "How dare you brutally and indiscriminately slaughter the innocent. For this sin, you shall pay with your lives!" Faster than any human could see, he swung his sword decapitating the soldiers and half charring the bodies in the process. He turned to the two girls now looking at him in both awe and fear. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Y-Yes, we are fine now", Enri said struggling to speak both from the sight and the pain on her back.

"You're hurt, let me heal you." Sypher held out a hand. "[Middle Cure Wounds]".

All of a sudden the pain on Enri's back disappeared along with any trace of the injury. She and Nemu both stood in awe as the angel turned around and looked at the surroundings.

"So what do we know," Sypher thought to himself. _One: the humans of this world are quite weak, probably below level 30 or maybe even 20. Not only did I kill those two in a single stroke, the weak flame enchant charred the bodies. It was mainly meant to be aesthetic since it dealt so little damage to most players. Two: In turn, it meant the skill of any combat oriented NPC or summon from Nazarick could be valuable in this world._

From Enri's perspective, a miracle had just happened and they would be saved. Or so it would seem. The same black portal had reappeared and this time, an undead that was the picture of death and knight in pitch black armor came out of the portal. Enri's heart sank. Or it would have if the angel and undead did not start talking like old friends.

"I killed these 2 soldiers. They were pathetically weak, maybe around 20 as a generous estimate," Sypher said curtly.

"Well that's good, I've been meaning to test out some summoning magic. Summon middle tier undead: [Death Knight]." To the surprise of both players, the death knight spawned by using one of the corpses rather than spawning like normal.

Sypher rushed to jump in before Momonga continued. "Ah wait before you give it orders, I think we should keep the soldiers alive and keep them as prisoners. We can get information out of them."

"Hmm, okay. Death Knight, attack all men in the village wearing armor but do not kill them; just knock them out"

Roaring in acceptance, the death knight rushed off with a wide-mouthed Momonga left pointing. "Well then." Momonga sheepishly turned away.

The angel turned to the two girls again and saw the obvious fear on their faces at the sight of the undead.

"Worry not girls this undead creature is indeed my ally," Sypher looked over to Momonga who gave a polite nod in return. "I'm guessing people are not normally friendly to the undead?"

"Y-y-yeah. They are the enemies of all life," the smaller child said nervously.

"I see. Well, you don't have to worry about that, and to prove it, my friend here is going to cast some protection magic on you."

[Anti-Life Cocoon],[Wall of protection from arrows].

Two green barriers surrounded the children, Momonga also tossed them two items. Sypher knew these were low-level items so he saw no problem with Momonga's actions. "These are two magic items that will summon a goblin army under your command: use them as you need."

As the three figures started to turn away, the two girls suddenly bowed. "Th… Thank you. What are your names?"

The angel stated, "Sypher."

The undead paused for a minute before, almost stammering out, "Ainz. And we represent Ainz Ooal Gown"

Sypher went wide-eyed for a second but decided he would deal with the new issue on the way to the village.

"Really, you introduced yourself as Ainz?"

"I had a thought but didn't get the chance to ask you. What if we weren't the only ones transported to the world? I figured if we spread the name of Ainz Ooal Gown then if our guildmates are here they can join us."

While there were several questions, he couldn't see any major flaws in the plan so he let it slide with a brief nod. "I suppose I'll call you Ainz from now on too then." He continued, "Oh yeah, you should probably hide your inhuman nature since people don't take too kindly to the undead. Weirdly enough, those two were fine with angels though."

"Got it," Ainz said, while equipping a mask and gauntlets.

To their surprise, all the knights were already defeated by the time they got to the village and the death knight was dragging their bodies into a pile. Surprisingly, most of them were still alive. However, all the villagers were still petrified of the zombified monster in front of them. When Ainz introduced Sypher and himself as the masters of the death knight, they were aptly shocked that an angel and human came to save them. Sypher opened a [Message].

"This feels pretty awkward. You think if I offer to heal their wounded it would be good"

"Worth a try," Ainz replied cutting off the [Message].

"As a show of good faith, we can heal all your wounded," Sypher said in a loud voice.

The crowd was still apprehensive so Ainz tried another idea. "Of course all this isn't free we do request compensation. Also, don't worry about the angel; he is a companion I summoned to assist me in my journey."

When Ainz said he wanted compensation and the Angel was serving him, they were still shocked but accepted him more for some reason. _I guess they trust an explanation they understand rather than divine intervention_ , Sypher thought. He proceeded to heal the wounded with low and middle tier magic easily, further confirming his suspicions about their power in this world. When the pair was invited into the chief's house for their reward, Sypher morphed into a human but looked like his angel form without wings. While this was poor for combat, he felt this would be better so as to not accidentally destroy something with his wings and make the chief feel more comfortable.

The goal of the conversation was to be quick and efficient. While Ainz did most of the talking, Sypher would occasionally interject with a question and be blunt as necessary, that way it would not reflect poorly on Ainz since it was a summoned creature merely assisting.

In the end, Sypher was disappointed with how little they learned. While they learned about the surrounding countries and a rough gauge of their political situation nothing was concrete and the village only had some crudely drawn maps. If nothing else they got 3 pieces of information. 1: Their money was not the same and would need to be remade to fit this worlds coinage. 2: Most countries operated on a feudal system and judging by their tech levels, this world is probably similar to the dark ages of our world, just with magic. 3: The most powerful nation in the surrounding area were human supremacists. Meaning they would be enemies to Nazarick

[Message]. "Ainz can you hear me?"

"Yeah."

"I think the Slane theocracy is definitely someone we need to look out for. Also, I'm going to take over the conversation for a bit, just follow my lead." Sypher said mischievously smiling on the inside.

"R… Right", Ainz said with a confused and worried glance.

Sypher steps forward to the table and looks at the chief "So chief if you have lords and villages, does that mean slaves are also a practice in this world."

The village chief looked nervous but swallowed and said "Yes. I mean The Kingdom recently outlawed it but I imagine that the Empire and Theocracy still have it. I haven't heard anything about the southern or northern land to say."

Both Ainz and Sypher frowned, but due to their disguises were not seen. Sypher continued "And I'm assuming the lords can demand as much as they want for protection that may not always arrive?"

"Y Y Yes that is correct." The chief said, clearly sweating with nervousness.

"Can we be left alone for a few minutes?" Sypher asked.

The village chief and his wife nodded then left. After casting magic spells to ward against detection, Sypher started "I'm sure that despite your evil alignment you still felt bothered by the existence of slaves in this world."

Ainz nodded in approval. "Yeah". Both of them had numerous friends and family suffer or worse at the hands of the sweatshop conditions that existing in their world.

Sypher continued, "The way I see it if left on its own this world will become the same hell hole our is now just with magic to better exploit the common people like the villagers here." He paused to take a breath before dropping his big plan. "We could become kings here. Not just any kings, but immortal god-kings that would guide humanity and all the other sentient races in coexistence to a true utopia."

All Ainz could do in response to this was stare blankly at his friends as his emotion suppression kept kicking in.

"Now now now, I know the idea sounds crazy but hear me out. In our world, the dark ages happened for 600 years where humanity regressed to a feudal dominated society, the church had an iron grip on free thought, and freedom was limited. If we didn't have that we might have developed differently and been in a different better future now."

Sypher continued like an excited child. "Now look at this world. I think it's safe to assume they are in the same kind of dark age that we had, but the existence of magic is equalizing the playing field a little bit for commoners. Now imagine if this world develops industry and electricity hundreds of years earlier than ours with magic to support it and greatly accelerate the process. We could guide humanity into the future while making sure they act responsibly and preserve the world they live in for millennia to come." As a mechanical engineer in the real world, Sypher could barely imagine all the technology that would be more efficient and easier to develop with magic. "It would also serve Nazarick in a number of ways."

Ainz had been in a daze up until now at his over-eager friend but came back to reality at the mention of Nazarick "Oh? What do you mean"

"Well, we have 3 main objectives right now. Strengthen Nazarick, learn more about this world, and spread the name of Ainz Ooal Gown. Right?"

"Yes", Ainz said as he gestured to continue.

"Well by absorbing more of this world into a nation of our own, we can gain more forces and bring to light all the possible enemies we have in this world. Also by having a large nation, we can more easily mask the location of the real tomb of Nazarick. Furthermore, by absorbing more of this world's population under our banner then we can learn more to ensure there are no threats. Finally, with the name of Ainz Ooal Gown as the king, the guild's name will spread like wildfire compared to use slowly building up fame."

While Ainz was processing all this information that his friend just dumped on him, a fervent knocking came from the door. Ainz opened the door to panicked village chief and Albedo standing beside the house as she was when they entered. "Sir Ainz more riders approach from the same direction."

Before Ainz has a chance to react, Sypher messages him "If you have any interest in my plan I would suggest you play the hero card and step in to save them.

While Ainz was not a 100% on board with Sypher's plan he did want to protect Nazarick. Ainz walked out of the house and said "Don't worry I'll take care of it, move all the villagers to a safe location. Village chief please come with us, worry not we will protect you it gets dangerous."

"Right". The chief said with a smile.

"Albedo, Sypher with me."

With that, the 4 figures stood at the village square waiting for the riders. While they were armed, they did not seem openly hostile. After conversing with them, they had been the force sent by the Kingdom to deal with the bandits terrorizing the villages. After finding out that it was a platoon of armored knights, the soldiers were shocked.

"I cannot thank you enough for saving this village, Sir Gown," Gazef stated while respectfully bowing.

Continuing the hero act, Ainz said: "No worries, after all helping someone in need is common sense." The image of Touch Me suddenly popped in Ainz's and Sypher's minds.

Suddenly Ainz got a message from those monitoring the village from Nazarick. "It appears more people have circled the village. The weird thing is that seem to have summoned archangel flames from Yggdrasil."

Sypher went wide-eyed from the mental communication as and Ainz thought, why are there monsters from Yggdrasil here. While there were a few goblins in the forest, the archangel flames proved that magic from Yggdrasil. "Ainz, I think we should take them on, prove our strength even more."

"I'm not sure. I mean I'm still not completely onboard with your plan."

"Still it would be worthwhile to at least save the village, with how weak these humans are, the angels might be enough to overpower them.

"Fine. Although let's make sure to hold back a bit." Ainz replied, seeing a bit of demiurge's personality in Sypher.

"Alright". Sypher replied before turning back to Gazef and the chief, noticing that Gazef had been talking to his own subordinate.

Gazef spoke up "It seems that we are surrounded and the enemy appears to be a special ops unit of the Slane Theocracy"

Sypher replied this time, "Indeed do you know why this might be, Sir Stronoff?"

"If none of you have an idea then they are probably after me."

Sypher thought for a minute before smiling internally and responding. "Then I have a proposition. We three will go fight off the intruders."

"I couldn't allow you to fight my battles for me!" Gazef exclaimed trying to uphold his honor.

"I assure you it will be fine and you will not be running away. If you and your men go out to face them, you will lose." Sypher stated coldly and continued before Gazef could protest. "While I am sure of your strength there are simply just too many enemies. Now here my plan out. If we go out there, the enemy will assume that you are in the village. As such they will send some of their forces to try to go capture you. If you and your men prepare for the ambush and pretend to be unaware, we will be able to effectively split up their forces making it easier to handle. Understand?"

Gazef thought for a minute and begrudgingly agreed. Although he was worried about the villagers' safety.

Sypher continued "Worry not, one more of our allies will arrive to provide you with support and scrying magic to monitor our situation so you may assist in case it looks bad.

"Understood", Gazef still amazed at the power this group Ainz Ooal Gown claimed.

"I hope that in return, we can count on your support as needed in the future," Sypher said while offering a handshake.

"Of course", Gazef replied as he returned the handshake.

What Sypher had not mentioned was that some of the stealth forces from Nazarick would circle the enemy after they made their attack so no one would be able to reach the village. From what he understood, magic casters were highly respected in this world. Thus, the clairvoyance magic and them utterly destroying the angels would be enough to showcase their power to the rest of the world. They had people on standby to stop any detection off course but for now, Sypher figured it would be best to let it play out.

"Hey, Sypher?" Ainz asked using [Message]

"Yeah?"

"I've thought about your proposal and while it is risky, the benefits are substantial. Count me in."

Sypher cracked an evil looking smile, "Good. Now mind if I take over for a bit?

"Go ahead."

"Cool. You are still our leader though so you will be doing most of the talking. I'm going to have Mare come here and project scrying magic of our battle to the village and have some Eight Edge Assassins surround us once it starts." Once Ainz nodded in response, everyone started to go about their respective tasks. Gazef and his men were surprised that the ally mentioned was a small child. But were too nervous about the battle to question it. With all the preparations in place; Ainz, Sypher, and Albedo walked out of the village to the enemies.

The trio approached the soldiers circling the village. "Greetings people of the Slane Theocracy. We are Ainz Ooal Gown. I recommend you surrender and tell us everything you know about those monsters and magic and we might let you live." Ainz's voice boomed across the plain.

The man who looked to be the captain responded "You dare to mock us by calling the Angels mere monsters. They are the messengers of the 6 gods and are proof of humanities greatness. Fools like yourself should offer up your life without resistance."

"Ahh right, they are religious fanatics. Well, this could work to my advantage." Sypher thought as he decided to transform back to his angel form. "This ought to mess with them."

As one of the people standing in front suddenly started to sprout wings and an angelic glow, the Slane theocracy soldiers started to step back in fear. Their captain, Nigun Grid Luin, was shocked but quickly came back to reality. He had never seen an angel like that before, one only slightly larger than a human but with 6 wings. He figured it must be some monster impersonating an Angel.

"Do not falter. It is merely some shoddy imitation of a true angel. Have the angels attack them!" Nigun ordered towards the soldiers.

Sypher smiled "Exactly according to plan." Right about now the Eight Edge Assassins should be surrounding them and Gazef and the villagers should be watching this fight. Estimating the angels to be about level 25 meaning that he shouldn't even need to use a skill. He pulled out the flaming sword from earlier and began with a twisted smile.

Nigun couldn't believe what was happening in front of him. All the angels that were sent were being cut down like grass against this fake angel. "All angels fall back and regroup." He frantically ordered, but it didn't end. The monster in front of him flew forward faster than he could see and destroyed all the angels in a flash of light. Nigun just stood there speechless as everything started to crumble around him. Who are these people? Trying to clear his mind he commanded. "Principality of Observation, attack!".

As the large angel behind Nigun started to move, Sypher decided to pass the baton. "Ainz it's your turn. Have fun."

"Right". Ainz said as he rolled the red dots that were his eyes. He could feel the grin on Sypher's face. He looked to see the faceless angel barreling at him with a mace in hand. The Theocracy soldiers were expecting the angel to smash them into the ground, but to their shock, Ainz stopped the attack single-handed.

"Pathetic. Here is a real attack, [Hell Flame]" Ainz said as a small ball of flame left his finger.

To the shock of the soldiers, the angel burst into a ball of red and black flame and vanished. After seeing the high-level angel fall to a single hit, half of them passed out while those still conscious were on their knees.

"Th-th-that's impossible. In a single hit." Nigun stammered on the ground. After regaining his composure, "Men protect me, we will summon the highest level angel!" He pulled out a blue crystal that caught the attention of Sypher and Ainz.

"Ainz do you see that?" Sypher asked.

"Yeah, it looks like a sealing crystal for anything but top tier magic. Be on your guard."

"Right. Albedo, I apologize for asking this of you but prepare to defend us if needed." Sypher said towards Albedo.

"It is my purpose to serve the supreme beings, your apologies are wasted on me." Albedo replied while getting into position.

The crystal continued to glow until it enveloped the area. When it cleared, a massive angel easily over 30 feet in height appear. "Behold Dominion Authority!"

Back in the village, Gazef's soldiers and the villagers were watching the magic screen with awe. They watched as hordes of angels were cut down with ease while their defenders remained unscathed. Gazef watched with both awe and respect of the three that had gone to protect them. Both he and his men were shocked to see that Sypher had actually been an angel but more so when they considered how strong a man Ainz must be to use such incredible magic as well as command a powerful angel with ease. He was also wondering about the armored companion. She hadn't done anything yet, but if she is with them she must be powerful. When it seemed like they had won, a blinding flash appeared from the projection, and another angel stood once more. However, this one looked far more powerful than the previous ones. Even Gazef didn't think he would be able to stand against it while equipped with the Kingdom's treasures. The entire village sank as they awaited their doom.

Ainz and Sypher just stood in front of the angel with blank stares on their face.

"Hey this just a Dominion level angel right", Ainz asked not believing his eyes.

"I mean the archangel flames were the same so I don't see why not," Sypher responded.

"This is stupid," Ainz said, now out loud "I'm going to end this." Before he could continue Sypher held out a hand.

"Hold on a second Ainz, I think we should let Albedo handle this." He continued with [Message], "we tested if our abilities work the same but not the guardians. Albedo should be able to one shot this so we can give a quick test. If it gets hairy we'll step in." After an unsure nod from Ainz Sypher turned to Albedo. "Albedo, would you like to step in and handle this enemy? You should be able with your skills."

"Of course my lord. I am overjoyed that you would trust me with such a task." Albedo exclaimed with a blushing smile.

"Ri-Right. Well, good luck." Sypher felt a chill up her spine.

Nigun looked over to the three. As far as he knew, Dominion Authority could use 7th tier magic and surpassed mankind in every aspect. Yet, those three were just sitting there chatting like nothing has happened. "AARRGH. They must be bluffing," he turned to the angel and commanded "Use [Holy Smite]." He grinned as the angel cast the spell and a flood of white light burned down upon the three in front of them.

His smile slowly turned to horror as he saw all of them standing as if nothing happened. Before he could continue, the black knight stepped forward and jumped. Nigun only saw her for a second above Dominion Authority. Before anyone had a chance to react she was on the ground again in a landing pose holding a dark ax. The angel was now an evaporating ball of light.

Once the light cleared, the fighters from the village were still standing unscathed as ever with the Theocracy soldiers on the ground. Sypher sent a [Message] to Mare to cut off the video feed and turned to Ainz with a thumbs up. Ainz silently activated his scrying defenses to block detection from anyone that was watching the fight. It was best that what happened next remained a secret.

"Now then," Ainz said as he stepped forward.

"Pl-Please wait. I beg of you Lord Ainz," Nigun begged on the ground. "Spare me"

Ainz still walking forward "Well I was planning to kill you, but my comrade insists I keep you alive for now. Afterall, you hold knowledge of this world and magic that I want." Ainz removed his mask and revealed his face.

At this point almost the men were unconscious and Nigun was barely holding on. Ainz walked up to him, grabbed him by the neck and ominously spoke: "Know despair."

With that Nigun had collapsed and the three started to move the corpses back to Nazarick for interrogation.

In the village, everyone was in a state of shock they didn't know possible. They had just witness Ainz and his friends take a strike from the heavens that was visible from the village even without the magic display. Not only did they live, they appeared unscathed. On top of that, the black knight cleaved through the angel while it was floating in a single strike. Gazef was generally humble, but he still considered himself among the strongest fighters in the surrounding countries. When he saw the attack, he knew he would never be able to reach that peak in several lifetimes. As Gazef came back to reality he noticed that the child caster and the magic screen had disappeared at some point.

As the villagers were recovering from their shock; Albedo, Ainz, and Sypher were returning to the village.

"So what's next," Ainz asked?

"Well since that's done, now is time to start our empire," Sypher said with an evil grin.

"Right," Ainz half sighed with an uncertain voice. "I'm going tell Albedo to go back to Nazarick and keep it at high alert until we are done here. We did just reveal ourselves as a world threat after all."

"Ok. Meet me at the chief's house after you are done. I'll start discussions"

They nodded and went to their tasks.

"Chief, if I may have a word with you," once he had the chief's attention he continued to speak. " I'm aware we already asked you for information earlier but Ainz and I have a couple more things to discuss with you if that is alright."

"O-Of- Of course, right this way." The chief barely managed to get the words out still recovering from the scene a little bit ago. They met up with Ainz on the way to the chief's house and once inside, Ainz cast a spell to prevent eavesdropping.

Ainz sat down in a way befitting a king with Sypher next to him in an equally intimidating pose. Sypher started to speak, "after hearing of the state of this world and society as well as fighting 'humanity's strongest'. We have a new request from you and this village."

The chief swallowed nervously as a chill ran down his spine. "Wh-What is it?"

"We want everything," Sypher spoke with a mischievous grin on his face.

* * *

 _Hope you enjoyed that chapter. At this point, all the background and characters are_ setup _so the plot will really start to diverge from now on, so look forward to it._


	3. The Birth of the Sorcerer's Kingdom

_Author's Note:_

 _Thanks for the suggestions, I'll try to implement them in the coming chapters._

 _Glad people like the story and e_ _njoy Chapter 3._

* * *

 **Chapter 3: The Birth of the Sorcerer's Kingdom.**

"E-Ex-Excuse me?" The chief was baffled. He figured he must have misheard Sypher.

Ainz cleared his throat. Sypher, realizing he was a bit overzealous, snapped back to reality: "Ahh, please excuse me. I suppose a question we want to know first is do you trust us with your lives?"

"Of course, you saved us in our time of need after all." Despite his confident tone the chief couldn't help but feel apprehensive about Sypher's previous statement.

"Glad to hear that. Then I'll repeat myself: give us everything. Defect from the Kingdom and serve under Ainz Ooal Gown as our subjects. If you do, we will guarantee the safety of everyone so that the events of today will never happen again. You will never go hungry and can live comfortably. We can even offer education and training in the arts that far outstrips that of what even what nobles receive. Of course, there is no consequence should you refuse, but for your sakes, I hope you accept."

The chief was unsure of what to say here. He scrambled to think of some response that would not offend their powerful saviors: "W-W-Well it sounds great and while I am the leader of the village, the council must meet to make any big decision."

"Fair enough. Let's go meet them then. Ainz?" Sypher turned to Ainz. After receiving a nod the group got up and went to meet with the elders of the village. As they were walking through the village Gazef came up to them.

"I cannot thank you and your comrades enough. You saved both my men and this village." Gazef bowed deeply to Ainz and Sypher.

Sypher was impressed. He figured Gazef would act like the chief and the other villagers, but he maintained his composure. Then an idea came to him.

"Gazef, you are a warrior of the Kingdom correct?" Sypher paused till he nodded. "Why do you serve the Kingdom. You and your men were clearly under-equipped for this mission and from what I heard, the Kingdom is quite politically divided."

"I swore my loyalty to the King as his bodyguard and deeply respect him. I serve the Kingdom to protect him and the innocent people living there," Gazef replied with pride.

"I see." Sypher paused then smiled, "well I hope we see you again then. I will make sure to get in touch with you if we are in the capital."

"I hope to see you then. Safe travels," Gazef waved goodbye he and his men mounted their horses and rode off.

"You're not going to try to recruit him?" Ainz asked Sypher over [Message].

"No. I thought about it but his loyalty seems too strong. If we asked and he refused he would be wary of us in the future. Worst case scenario, we would make an enemy of the Kingdom and I would like to avoid that for now if possible."

"Agreed."

"Well let's go to meet the elders. As the leader of Ainz Ooal Gown, you will have to make the main demands. I'll back you up."

"Ehhh. I don't know what to say I mean this thing was your idea," Ainz asked almost panicking.

"It'll be fine. I'll start the conversation. Just follow along by improvising," Sypher said reassuringly.

"Fine."

"Excuse me Lord Ainz, but I've gathered the village elders," the village chief spoke up from behind with a group of people behind him.

"Good. Let us be on our way then." Ainz said as the chief led all of them to the meeting hall. On the way there two children approached them.

"Hey Ainz, those are the two girls from the forest right?", Sypher asked.

"I think so. I suppose we should see what they want. Their names were Enri and Nemu if I remember."

"Ok."

The two girls ran up to Ainz and Sypher and bowed. "We just wanted to thank you again not just for saving us in the forest, but also for saving the village." They had returned to the village before the fight so had seen them destroy the angels.

"You're welcome, but there is no need to thank us. After all, helping those in need is the right thing to do." Ainz said in a regal manner. Behind him, Sypher grinned internally.

"He adapted to this leader persona pretty quickly."

Once the girls went off, Ainz, Sypher and the elder went into the meeting hall. Once everyone was situated Sypher spoke.

"As all of you know, we represent a group called Ainz Ooal Gown. We are a group of individuals whose purpose is to study magic and how this world works. However, this world is full of dangers and as such, we needed to defend ourselves. As you saw previously, we have a notable amount of magical and combat prowess under our belt."

Sypher felt it was necessary to put together this lie to make the villagers more trusting of their intentions. It seemed like magic casters were considered equal to scholars back in their world so. By claiming their intentions were pure it would help ease their tensions of being ruled.

Sypher continued: "However in recent years, we've noticed that this world is getting more and more corrupt with the strong abusing the weak. We aim to fight against that." He turned to Ainz and then the villagers. "My comrade and leader will put forward our request." Sypher noticed they were all intrigued, not fearful. 'As expected, the hero for justice card swayed them. I guess those two girls that we talked to outside helped to serve as additional proof,' Sypher thought.

"Yes thank you, Sypher," Ainz took a breath before continuing, "we indeed have a special request. We want to serve us as our subjects." He repeated the points that Sypher previously put forward to the chief but added on, "If you join us, you will serve us and we will serve you in return. After all, a king exists to protect and lead his people. Please take some time to confer amongst yourself."

After a minute to come back to reality the elders turned to discuss.

Ainz messaged Sypher, "What was up with that backstory? It's a complete lie."

"Hey, do you think they would believe we came from another world? Besides, I figured they would trust us more if we had noble intentions."

"Fair enough."

One of the elders stood and turned to Ainz. "How would you have us change if we joined you?"

Ainz quickly responded, "There are a few changes. I would reassign jobs based on our new needs, but those affected would be adequately compensated. Also in terms of governing, while I would make the final decision on major issues, I would consult both representatives of the village and my direct subordinates for their approval before taking action. For day to day activities, I'll let you govern yourselves. You would just have to inform me of your actions.

The elders were shocked. They had never heard of a king that took the advice of commoners. Another elder asked, "What about taxes?"

This time Sypher was the one to answer. "Rather than gold, our current idea is to ask you for a sample of all goods and food produced in your village." Seeing the elders confused faces he continued: "A small amount of any crops grown, material gathered, goods produced, etc… For example, if it was grain, maybe a few bushels of grain every few months."

The elders couldn't believe what they were hearing. In exchange for protection, magical services, and knowledge they asked for such a trifling sum, and only a few times a year. The elders went back to their circle to discuss. After almost 20 minutes, the elders turned back to Ainz and Sypher.

The chief spoke: "Your claims of protection and comfort for us are far-fetched, to say the least," from his body language Sypher could tell that he was nervous but did his best to put on a brave face. He continued: "However, because of the great deeds you have done for this village we choose to trust you. If you can ensure our prosperity, then we swear our allegiance to you, Lord Ainz and to Ainz Ooal Gown."

As Sypher was internally celebrating, a thought crossed his mind. He messaged Ainz, "Hey Ainz, I think we should reveal your real self."

"What why me? We got them to agree." Ainz asked incredulously, almost dropping his facade.

"Well think about it. If they join us, they're going to have to interact with people from Nazarick eventually, or we might have to use the undead POPs to defend this place when were are occupied. They seem to accept angels, so the people aren't afraid of all heteromorphs. As long as we can convince them that you are a good undead then we're fine. This way we avoid any complications down the road. I'm already revealed as inhuman so it should be fine if I hide the face I'm a doppelganger. If they don't know what it is it'll complicate things."

Ainz thought for a second, "How can we make sure they won't spread the news too far?"

Sypher paused for a minute to think of a plan, "we'll tell that there is some binding spell active that will erase their memory of us should they break the rules of we set for them."

"Ok, that's on you to explain," Ainz said cutting off communication.

They returned to find the villagers quizzically staring at them. It seems the conversation had been going on longer than they thought.

Sypher spoke up: "We are pleased that you accepted our deal; but, we wish to tell you something before you fully accept. [Create Magic Item]". Suddenly a glowing piece of paper appeared in the air and floated down. "This is a magical contract. By placing your hand on it, you are agreeing to tell no one of the following conversations unless I allow so. If you attempt to do so you will enter a trance and forget what you were about to say. Furthermore, should you go back on your agreement from earlier, it will erase your memory of us and we will disappear. This is to protect our comrades." Of course, it didn't do any of that but they didn't need to know.

The elders paused but one by one they came up to touch the contract.

Ainz removed his mask and you could see the villagers die a little on the inside. A couple fell to their knees while one even passed out.

"Please wait, before you panic, I would like to explain myself." After the fainted elder came to, Ainz continued: "While I am undead, I am unlike the ones you know. I am what is known as an overlord, a far evolved version of an elder lich." This did little to assuage the villagers fear, possible even added to it.

"One of the conditions to become an overlord is to respect the living. By interacting and allying with those who have finite lifespans allows us to gain knowledge to transcend our undead nature and coincide with humans. It also gives us nearly absolute control over lesser undead creatures."

The chief spoke up, "How do we know you are telling the truth?"

"Well, I have an angel as my partner who can vouch for me. You saw first hand how he healed your injured with holy magic." Ainz said.

Cipher picked this up, "Furthermore, we can allow you to speak to some of our subordinates who are humanoid if you wish."

The elders looked amongst themselves for a minute before nodding.

Ainz held his hand up to his head. "[Message]. Shalltear are you there"

"Yes Lord Ainz, I await your orders."

"Good, please send Demiurge, Aura, and a homunculus maid to my location. I've lowered the anti-teleportation spells for 3 minutes so please hurry."

"As you command."

The message cut off and Ainz nodded to Sypher then turned to the elder. "A few of my subordinates will be here soon, please wait." Soon after, a black portal appeared out of thin air and 3 figures walked out. A tall man in a pressed suit with slicked back black hair and a tail, a blonde haired maid stepped out, and a smaller figure.

A child stepped out and it was a dark elf on top of that! The villagers were at a loss. First, an undead saves their village twice and is friends with an angel, humans, dark elves, and whatever the human-like creature with a tail was? They wondered what other creatures lived there.

The three figures bowed before Sypher and Ainz. "How can we serve you, my Lords?", they said in unison.

Sypher decided to step in and help out Ainz, "all of you rise." He looked at the villagers and then at the NPCs. "Please tell the villagers your honest opinion of us. We will leave the room so you may talk freely. When you are done contact us to come back." [Message] "Demiurge, the villagers think you and the maid are human. Please pretend to be human and make up an excuse to the tail. Also, make sure you don't refer to Ainz and I as supreme beings for this, just call us your lords or something similar."

"Ah, I understand your plan, my lord. I will execute it perfectly."

"Good."

With that Ainz and Sypher turned invisible, but to the villagers, it looks like they teleported.

Demiurge decided to open "Before we assuage your worries, do you have any questions for us?"

One of the elders asked "Are you and the maid human? You have a tail and then I can't imagine a human willingly serving an undead."

All three figures from Nazarick were clearly displeased at hearing they call Lord Ainz a mere 'undead'. Demiurge spoke up before anyone could react. "Yes, that is correct. The maid and I are both humans. This tail is magic item given to me by Lord Ainz to protect me while casting magic."

Another magic caster? The villagers wondered if he was as powerful as Ainz or Sypher.

"Well back to the original topic. Personally, I could not imagine a better master to serve. Lord Ainz is being of immense power with unfathomable wisdom. Lord Sypher serves as Lord Ainz's right hand, supporting him with his cunning intellect and vast array of skills." Demiurge nodded to Aura and the maid to continue.

Aura continued, "Lord Ainz and Lord Sypher are beings whose kindness and magnanimity know no bounds. He has my eternal loyalty as well as the absolute loyalty of everyone who serves him." The maid and Demiurge nodded.

It was the maid's turn to answer: "As a mere servant I do not have the chance to meet with the masters as much as Lord Demiurge and Lady Aura, but I do know they are very kind. They worry about our well being, always making sure we have enough to eat and are properly rewarded for our actions".

The elders had been through too many shocks in the last couple hours and no longer knew how to react. "Th-Thank you for your answers. We will think about Lord Ainz's proposition again."

When Demiurge put his hand to his head, Ainz and Sypher reappeared in the room.

"Well then lords, with your permission we will be off," Demiurge said as he and the other two bowed.

"Very well. Thank you for your assistance," Ainz replied with a nod. The three figures went back through the black portal from which they appeared.

Ainz messaged Sypher "Hey you want to explain to me what just happened for the last like 20 minutes." Ainz now down from the adrenaline rush of acting as a ruler was frantic.

"I could ask you the same. Making up the story of your origin and what not."

"I panicked. I mean I have no idea how undead work in this world. It felt like the most believable story I could think of."

"Well considering how they are still talking it looks like it helped," Sypher replied glancing at the villagers.

"Why did you want me to call Demiurge and the others here?"

"I thought if they heard it from people that look human-ish then they might trust us more."

"Fair enough. Although if we do something like this again we really should rehearse this. I want to go back to Nazarick and pass out in bed after this."

"Agreed. It was quite mentally taxing."

After a while had passed, the elders once again returned to face Ainz and Sypher. The chief spoke, "after considering everything we've witnessed today, we still stand by our earlier decision. We are honored to serve you Lord Ainz." the elders all kneeled before Ainz. The chief thought this was a overkill but seeing the behavior of Ainz's subordinates, he felt it appropriate.

"I am happy that we have reached an agreement, but please stand up. You need not bow before me except for formal occasions. A handshake is more fitting," Ainz said reaching out his hand.

The chief smiled, "Yes Lord." He met Ainz's hand with a firm handshake.

Sypher spoke up, "Well with that out of the way, I think it is time we break the news to the rest of the villagers."

"Please wait, I'm not sure how everyone else will react to his majesty being an undead."

"That is a good point." Sypher thought for a minute, "then Ainz will keep his identity hidden until the villagers trust us wholeheartedly."

After the chief nodded, the group went outside.

As they were walking to the village square, the chief wondered why they agreed. He knew that Ainz and Sypher weren't human and probably had more inhuman comrades, many as strong as them. Perhaps it was because they came to save them against other humans and their own country would have been too late. The people of Carne Village felt betrayed by humanity so maybe he thought, who cares if they aren't human.

The villagers looked in interest as their saviors floated up above the center of the village center and the one called Ainz began to speak.

"People of Carne Village, we protected this village twice from the ruthless of other humans. Any help your country sent would have arrived too late or been too weak." The people grimaced at the cold truth in his words. Ainz continued, "I have been around for many years and seen too many cases of the strong abusing the weak. Because of this, my comrade and I struck a deal with your village elders." Everyone looked up in interest.

"In exchange for protection and ensuring your well being, you would no longer be loyal to the Kingdom but serve Ainz Ooal Gown. We promise to provide food, and all the necessary supplies to rebuild until you can stand on your own. And after that, we will provide knowledge to allow you to grow exponentially and achieve goals once thought to be impossible by humans."

Sypher interrupted quickly. "My apologies for interrupting your speech but I have one addition to our previous promises. I will cast a mass resurrection spell on this village to all your lost loved ones to come back to life!"

Ainz frantically messaged Sypher "What are you doing?! You know we can't do that."

"It'll be fine, I've thought this through. As a support-type angel, I can use [Resurrection] without an item and with an AOE. The person I copied also had buffs to widen the AOE of support-type spells. On top of that, I have an item that allows for resurrection with no exp cost. It has limited uses but it should be fine to use here because of the large cooldown. The drawback is with a base negative karma, it'll only do an exp-less revival for under level 50. However, that shouldn't be a problem here."

Ainz thought through the idea and item in question. He wasn't surprised since Yggdrasil had a lot of items that were weirdly designed due to the questionable judgment of the devs. He could see the obvious benefit from doing this for the village. "Fine but just this once, we need to use limited items more sparingly going forward."

The villagers were still in shock at Sypher's claims. To resurrect their dead loved ones. It would be a miracle of the gods. Sypher spoke again, "I will need their corpses to be in relatively good condition, however." That was still more than enough to rial up the villagers.

Everyone started to move to the outskirts of Carne Village watching the area where they piled the dead to be buried. They all watch Sypher with anticipation as he pulled out an ornate golden staff and prepared to cast magic. "[Skill: Growth of Angelica], [Resurrection]!"

Suddenly, a blazing white light fills the surroundings and yellow particles can roughly be seen moving towards the bodies. As the light cleared, everyone stood in wonder and awe. Before their eyes, the corpses had vanished and their loved ones stood in place.

The village was silent for a minute before the villagers ran to embrace their recently revived loved ones. Tears of joy and cries of celebration could be heard everywhere. Well, almost everywhere. Some villagers were on the ground looking at where the corpses were waiting for something to happen. Their faces looked frozen as if refusing to accept what was happening.

 _I was worried this would happen_ , Sypher thought. _Despite the buffs I put on it, the number of corpses must have been too much for a 7th tier spell_. He knew he couldn't say that at risk of losing face in front of the villagers.

As he looked around he saw the two girls from earlier. _Their names were Enri and Nemu right. Maybe I should say something._ Sypher didn't know what had come over him but he felt like he should go console them. Maybe it was because his own parents were gravely injured in a factory and died because the ambulance was too slow Sypher thought to himself. _Mhmm, can't think about that now_ , Sypher shook his head.

He approached the two girls. "I'm sorry that the magic did not work on your parents. It appeared that their bodies were unfortunately too weak to survive revival." Sypher figured this would be more comforting than being stuck with bad luck.

Enri wiped her face and looked up, "No, you have no need to apologize. You've done so much for our village we should be thanking you for creating such a miracle in the first place."

Sypher could see the sincerity in the girl's words and felt something inside that he thought had disappeared with his human body. Suddenly, Sypher pulled out a necklace from inside his armor pocket.

Enri starred as he held up a thin interweaved gold chain necklace connected to a simple yet elegant gold Celtic knot. Sypher held it out to Enri. "This is a magic item that will allow you to telepathically communicate with me. While I certainly can't fill the role of your parents, I hope to be able to help you and your sister. If you ever want to talk to me or need my assistance, just think of the message you want to send and visualize talking to me."

Enri started to push the gift back, "I can't possibly accept such a valuable item from someone who has already done so much."

"Please, I insist."

Enri slowly and carefully donned the necklace as Ainz messaged Sypher: "Where are you? We need to finish up here."

"Right I'll be there," Sypher turned to Enri and Nemu, now noticing that most people had returned already. "It seems I am needed at the square again. I'll teleport us back. Take care and I hope to speak to you again Enri and Nemu."

Before Enri could speak, a flash of light appeared and they were back in the square with Sypher next to Ainz once again.

Sypher resumed his ruler persona and continued: "Well now that you have seen the power of Ainz Ooal Gown, will you serve us to protect your futures?".

The crowd was silent for a minute before a noise came from the middle.

"Long live Lord Ainz, long live his majesty!". The crowd began to roar with similar chants and cheers.

"Well, I guess that's one step done." Sypher looked to Ainz with a smile.

Scene Change: Nazarick Throne Room

"Albedo, thank you for gathering everyone as requested", Sypher said. After finishing up with the village and telling the chief that he and Ainz needed to return home to make some preparations, he told Albedo to gather all the NPCs in the throne room for a special announcement.

"Of course, my Lord. It is my greatest please to serve you, my love". Sypher shuddered a bit. He almost forgot that Albedo was programmed to love him.

"R-Right."

"Well I will go wait in the throne room for you and Lord Ainz," Albedo bowed happily. After Sypher nodded, she walked off. He would need to figure out a way to deal with her later.

Shortly after, Sypher met up with Ainz, outside of the throne room.

"You ready?" Sypher asked?

"Well we don't really have a choice anymore do we?" Ainz responded with a hint of sarcasm.

"True. Well, the NPCs are loyal to use so it shouldn't be a problem." He turned and took a deep breath, "it's time." They opened the door and walked up the room towards the throne. Ainz walked in the center while carrying the replica guild weapon and Sypher slightly behind him. On each side, monsters and creatures of all kind filled the room and kneeled before them. Ainz reached the throne and sat upon the magnificent black throne while holding the guild weapon with Sypher on the right.

Ainz spoke, "Everyone, we wish to apologize for leaving the tomb for so long. We will fill you in later but first, there is a more pressing matter… Ainz Ooal Gown has a new goal. We will save this pitiful world of humans and guide them to a better future. While this may sound strange considering humans are generally far weaker than any one of you; however, given enough time the humans will be a threat to this world. We will use our power to save humans from their fate and fall under the control of the great tomb of Nazarick!" Ainz paused for a minute while he was met with a thunder of applause from the NPCs.

"We also have a second objective: To spread the name of Ainz Ooal Gown. On top of taking this world for ourselves, I will also be changing my name to Ainz Ooal Gown. You may call me Ainz. This will serve as a reminder that all of my comrades and your creators are with us, no matter how far away they might be."

"And the final declaration: I declare that our new domain in this world shall be called the Sorcerer Kingdom of Ainz Ooal Gown. Make the name of Ainz Ooal Gown an eternal legend!"

The room was filled with deafening cheering and applause. "Glory to Ainz Ooal Gown", "Long Live the Sorcerer King."

* * *

 _Hope you enjoyed. The annexation of Carne Village ended up being longer than expected but I felt that some parts, like with Enri, helped to make a Sypher a more well-rounded character. Science development starts next chapter so look forward to it. As always leave a review with thoughts, comments, and questions._


	4. The Start of Something Great

**Chapter 4: The Start of Something Great**

 **Location: 10th-floor Lounge.**

* * *

Hello all. Sorry for the delayed update to the story. Work tends to get pretty busy when your $10,000 dollar prototype spontaneously combusts during testing. Anyways enjoy!

* * *

Ainz and Sypher teleported into the lounge and flopped onto the plush couches. They had expected the NPCs to follow them unquestioningly but didn't expect them to get so fired up.

"It's just started and I already need a break from this whole ruler thing, "Ainz said while passed out over a couch as he dangled his arms and legs.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I suggested this whole 'take over the world idea' but I'm starting to realize how to work it would be."

He and Ainz we're no strangers to hard work and putting their nose to the grindstone; however, being a leader was different. Sypher's work as an engineer gave him more freedom than a desk job but the only people he talked with were those in his group and his own boss. He was made a team manager because of his ability to delegate well on top of his engineering knowledge, but that didn't mean he enjoyed all parts of the job. In fact, the managerial roles were the most tiring parts of his job. Ainz, on the other hand, had no experience with being a leader as a regular salaryman whose main interaction was with clients.

"Well as much as I would relax for a while, the NPCs will probably ask for their new orders. I'd feel bad if we slacked off while they worked," Ainz spoke while standing up.

Sypher groaned at how Ainz was right: "Yeah I know." He paused before an idea came up, "What if we just told them to make a list of Nazarick's members and their abilities."

"But we can already access that information from our player encyclopedias and the guild list," Ainz said as he pulled up the menu.

"Yeah, but it's an easy way to assign them busy work for a little while. We can have Albedo and Demiurge lead the task." Sypherr started and then continued after a realization, "it'll also serve to test their abilities. We know that NPCs fighting abilities and personalities transferred, we should check how independent they can be. Demiurge and Albedo should be the most intelligent of the NPCs so if they can handle a vague task well then it means we can defer some leadership to them in the future."

Ainz thought, "hmm. I'd feel bad letting them do our jobs. Plus it doesn't give us work."

"It'll be fine," Sypher said while giving a hand wave motion. "If they have to talk to all the NPCs then it'll let everyone function without our orders leaving us to do other things. You can study how magic works in this world and figure out the mechanics. It'll help with securing Nazarick. I'm sure you'll enjoy that."

Sypher knew Ainz enjoyed learning different magics and their uses. After all, he did go out of his way to get the ability 'Dark Wisdom' which allowed him to learn 718 spells vs the normal 300.

Sypher continued, "I'll see if I can make some of our world's machines to fulfill our promise to the villagers."

Ainz though for a bit before responding, "okay. I'll let Demiurge and Albedo know of their task and then get to my own."

Sypher nodded and then teleported to his room to think for a while.

* * *

 **Location: Underneath the Slane Theocracy's Capital**

The two lords of Nazarick weren't the only ones deep in thought; far away in an underground meeting room. 7 people sat around a curved table. The meeting room was well reinforced both physically and magically. Dim magical lights painted a grim expression on the faces of all those present.

Looking at them, one would just see elderly men and women, save for their elaborate clothing. However, these were arguably the 7 most powerful humans on the continent. The Pontifex Maximus and the 6 cardinals of the Slane Theocracy. Despite being the most powerful human nation on the continent, the leaders now sat apprehensively at their current situation.

They had just received word from Thousand Leagues Astrologer, whose scrying magic was second to none, that the entire sunlight scripture had been wiped out by 2 figures and an angel. And on top of that, her scrying magic had been blocked as soon as the fight ended, almost on command. It was as if the opponents had planned to let them see the fight just long enough to terrify them.

The Pontifex Maximus spoke, "I'm sure we are all in shock at the news delivered to us, but we must come up with a plan of action."

"We have an unknown enemy of 2 people that wiped out the sunlight scripture. They also managed to summon an angel that far surpassed our 3rd tier angels. Even worse, I don't even think that was a fraction of its power." The cardinal of fire, Yvon Jasna Dracrowa, almost yelled.

"I agree, what's more, was their fight against Dominion Authority. All three of them were unscathed by 7th tier magic that was known to kill the demon gods of legend. Furthermore, the women in black armor killed it in a single strike; and without magic!" The cardinal of water exclaimed.

"Enough!" The cardinal of earth, Raymond Lauransan said as he stood up and slammed the table. "We need to come up with a plan of action."

He sat back down and continued, "it is true they managed to destroy one of the treasures of the gods. However, we have our own trump cards." He looked around the room.

"We should mobilize those two in full gear with the black scripture as backup. We'll call back all other scriptures to defend the country." There were audible gasps around the room.

"But if we do that then the vault will be vulnerable. There is also the problem with letting her go with the treasures." Yvon countered.

"We have no other choice. The godkins are the only one that can stand up to someone who can destroy a Dominion authority." No response.

After the silent agreement from all present, the Pontifex stood up: "Then we shall mobilize the black scripture to this new threat. Inform them to meet up with the extra seat at the border and head to the great forest of Tob. Call back all other the other scriptures.

* * *

"Ugggh," Sypher groaned as he flopped in bed. In Yggdrasil, he had taken up craftsman classes so he could make and enchant custom equipment. In the game, items were crafted by selecting the desired item from a menu and it crafted as long as one had the components. Most recipes were found in dungeons, but some high-level ones had to be discovered by a number of different methods. Because there was no menu, this method obviously didn't work.

Luckily, there was a solution. If he used the spell [Shape Item] and was able to visualize an object, he would be able to reform raw materials at will.

Granted there were still limitations. If he didn't visualize every detail, the material would warp or misform causing him to do several iterations for something like armor. It also only worked on homogenous materials meaning that stronger weapons still needed to be assembled manually. His current fatigue was from trying to create some mid to high-level weapons from materials they had stored in Nazarick.

 _It seems that the magic cost increases due to some combination of its hardness and toughness. These are better than weapons created with magic so it might be worth the cost._ While he wasn't a magic optimized build, Sypher still had plenty of MP just from being a level 100.

 _Still, these metals are too scarce to mass produce stuff with. Maybe I should get some materials from the villagers to see how it compares,_ Sypher thought. While he realized that while the world was similar to their own medieval era, he hadn't checked if their technological advancement was any different thanks to magic. _I could also check their tech level._

With that Sypher ordered for a [Gate] to be taken to the village.

* * *

 **Location: Carne Village**

The chief of Carne Village had had a rough few days. 3 days ago, their village had come under attack by the slane theocracy and half their population slaughtered. Then out of nowhere 3 impossibly strong figures come out of nowhere and save them all. On top of that, one of them resurrected almost all the dead villagers. As if that wasn't strange enough, two of the figures asked for the villagers to serve them with unbelievable terms.

Since then, they hadn't heard any word back from their new rulers and the chief was swamped with questions left and right and the logistics of the deal. Last night, he was actually able to get a few hours of sleep and was taking on the edge of the forest to try to clear his head of all the weirdness going on. Suddenly, things got weird again.

A black portal appeared near where the chief was walking. A man with black hair and a sharp face wearing strange clothing walked pants were finely woven from blue cloth but still looked durable. He also wore a dark tunic and scaled coat to match that looked like it would have cost a fortune. (1)

The chief was worried for a minute before a look of realization came over his face. "Lord Sypher forgive me for not recognizing you," he kneeled apologetically.

"Don't worry it's fine. I didn't show you my human form after all."

"Your human form?"

"Yes. Angels of my level have limited shapeshifting abilities so this is my human form to interact with you and the others from the village more easily. Also stop kneeling, if you wish to show respect a quick bow will do.

"Very well." He bowed and looked at Sypher again. While the being in front of him looked like a normal human, it gave off an aura of power, even a civilian like the chief could feel. "What brings you here today my lord?"

"I wished to speak to the town's blacksmith as well as anyone else that could be considered very skilled in their craft for information.

The chief was surprised. Even if their king was formally king Ainz, lord Sypher could be considered a position equal to his. A person of high nobility directly learning from commoners was strange, to say the least. _I suppose that I can't rely on what I'm used to with our new rulers though,_ the chief thought to himself remembering the meeting a few days ago.

"I will gather them, however," the chief looked uneasy for a second. "Regrettably, our village does not have a blacksmith. We are primarily a farming village so on the occasion we need tools repaired we will buy them. "

Sypher frowned. "That is unfortunate. Regardless, gather the others that can be considered skilled in a craft and knowledgeable of artisans of this world. Is it alright if we use the meeting hall to converse"

"Of course my lord. I will have them all brought to you post haste."

Sypher nodded as he walked to the meeting hall.

As Sypher walked through the village, the damage was still prevalent. A number of houses were in the process of being rebuilt while some were a smoldering wreck. It seemed like only half of the building were still usable in case of inclement weather. He could see wide burnt patches, presumably where there once crops.

Sypher got to the meeting hall and waited inside for everyone else. 15 minutes later, the chief and 10 other people walked inside and kneeled before Sypher.

"Everyone stands up," Sypher said slightly annoyed. When they all looked up apprehensive Sypher continued, "I'll tell you what I told the chief, if you wish to show respect, a deep bow will be satisfactory. You only need to kneel for official ceremonies." Sypher sighed internally. He only added that last part on because he figured Albedo or Demiurge might kill someone if they didn't kneel.

The villagers were confused, just like the elders originally, at their new rulers' nonchalance to formalities. After more assurances, everyone sat down around the table.

"I asked the chief to gather you all here because you are all at least somewhat skilled in a craft. Because this village lacks a blacksmith, I would like the know how proficient you all are in making tools and constructing things. In addition, has anyone heard of the term 'science' before?" By some magic, it seemed like the humans in this world spoke English so Sypher figured that their words would develop the same as well. (2)

Everyone thought for a minute before shaking their heads in denial to the second question. The first man spoke up, " My lord, I led the construction of the storehouse so I suppose I know a bit about construction. Unfortunately, I can't claim to know very much about tool making other than sharpening. I don't know too many people around here with any experience even making tools. Most people around here are farmers." Everyone but one nodded.

A middle-aged man with a missing arm spoke up, "While I might not look it anymore, I used to be a blacksmith in a neighboring village before it got destroyed by monsters a number of years ago. Lost my arm in the attack so I wasn't able to continue my craft but I can tell you everything I know."

Sypher thought to himself for a few minutes. _This is quite bad. I'd hoped there be more people with skills or hoped that magical devices would have more influence. Well, I suppose this is a village so the people are pretty isolated._ "Before we continue, I have a question to ask. What would you say the average person does on a regular basis here in the village."

The chief responded, "Most of us are farmers or gatherers since our main exports are herbs and crops."

"So do you have stuff like markets and shops here or do people just trade?" Sypher asked inquisitively.

"Most families get their food themselves and for items will trade a favor, extra tool or extra crops, something like that."

 _Ahh as suspected, the villagers are living off subsistence farming. Makes sense their tech is on the lower end even for this time period._ Sypher paused in thought before continuing to speak. "Thank you for your time today, can I ask that the chief, former blacksmith and the first man to speak stay a bit longer, the rest of you may go."

After everyone else bowed and walked out, Sypher turned to the 3 remaining people and cleared his throat. He spoke, "I asked you to stay because I have some plans for this village now that you serve Ainz Ooal Gown. Ahh-" Sypher paused realizing a mistake he made earlier.

He continued sheepishly, "ahem. Forgive for missing it before Chief, but what was your name again." He turned to the other two. "Please introduce yourselves as well."

The chief said frantically "D-Do not worry about it my lord, our introduction was quite hectic after all. I am Eric Ericson."

"I am Tomas Rudhale. A pleasure to be of service lord Sypher," the man who had built the storehouse replied.

"I am Edmond Seymour," the middle-aged former blacksmith said with a bow.

"Please to meet you all. As I'm sure you know, I am Sypher. Last names are not common where Ainz and I are from so you can call me Sypher."

"Very well lord Sypher." All three replied with a small bow.

"Anyways, the reason I've asked you to stay is I think your skills will be important for the plans I have for this village."

Everyone looked up inquisitively, especially the chief. He remembered the promises Sypher and Ainz made about education and wealth so he was curious about what they had planned.

"Firstly Tomas, tell me how the storehouse was built and how buildings in cities are built." Sypher specified his question because he could tell that the houses were just logs, planks, and thatch nailed together like the old wood cabins from the pioneer days. He wanted to see what stone construction was like here.

"The storehouse is regular brick and mortar building as are a lot of the common buildings in the cities. In most cases, the bricks are made with clay and the mortar is a mix of crushed rocks, sand, and water. Although only certain rocks."

"I see I'm guessing it's a white grainy rock that can be crushed into a powder?" Sypher asked.

"Yes, that's correct. I'm guessing you are familiar with the process, my lord?" Tomas was surprised at Sypher's knowledge.

"I am. Are any structures made by reinforcing the bricks with wood or metal?"

Tomas thought for a minute then frowned, "to the best of my knowledge, I don't believe so. It might be used in some castles but that is beyond my skills. I apologize."

"No worries." Sypher paused for a minute then continued, "I've decided that I will be updating the infrastructure of Carne Village to come closer to the standards of Ainz Ooal Gown. I will tell you more after speaking to Mr. Seymour"

"Please call me Edmond if you wish my lord," he corrected almost immediately.

"Very well then, Edmond. I just want to confirm a few things." Sypher ran through a list of weapons and tools to confirm if there were the normal usage in this world. After his response, Sypher thought to himself, _as I thought, swords, hammers, axes, and the like are the standard in this world. It seems like magic tools are rare and if those knights' armor and weapons are anything to go off of them, anything Nazarick makes really is overpowered._

 _I have my shaping skills, but having Edmond's skill set to oversee the initial industrialization could be useful. However not only is he old, he also lost an arm. I suppose I could intervene again here without Ainz getting mad._

"Edmond, do you have any family?"

"Unfortunately, my wife died from disease on our way here." There was visible pain in his face as he spoke

"Ahh, I apologize for asking such a personal question. The reason I ask is that I have a proposition." Sypher took a breath and continued.

"I believe that having someone with your skills will be useful going forward. As such I will offer you two things. Firstly, a magical item that will grant you a strength booth to work more efficiently. Secondly, I can regrow your arm back to perfect condition. What I ask for in return is that you will work directly under my orders. On most days you will work from sunup to sundown but sometimes even longer if needed. Of course, you will be fairly compensated for this."

Edmond stood in shock at the offer presented before him. He knew that Sypher had been able to revive the dead villagers but was still surprised by the generosity of his offer.

"I accept your offer," Edmond stated confidently.

"Oh? That was a quick decision."

"I dedicated my life to becoming a smith and perfecting my craft. I lost my purpose along with my arm. When you offer knowledge of far superior tools and to make me whole again, how can I refuse?"

"Good answer. I'll heal your arm now" Sypher said with a smile. He turned to the others "Will you two stand back."

"[Greater Cure wounds]." As Sypher said that, the stump where the arm used to be enveloped in a vibrant green light. The arm that was once lost magically recovered to the shock of everyone. They had seen miracle after miracle happen but were still in awe every time.

After it had healed, Edmond kneeled: "Thank you, my lord. I promise to repay your kindness in full."

"Good now on to the next order of business." Sypher paused to think for a few minutes then turned to the chief. "Eric can you get me a gold coin from the kingdom."

The chief nodded and then left the room to go grab it.

"As for you two, I have a few tasks for you to do. Tomas, please see to the construction of several wagons for carrying freight and the procurement of horses to carry them." He turned to the smith.

"Edmond, I want to you to work with Tomas and construct a blacksmith and workshop area, preferably closer to the outskirts of the village due to noise issues."

"It will be done," both men bowed in unison.

The chief returned with the coin and handed it to Sypher. "For the second task, I want you to procure a list of items," Sypher said. "Ahh, a quick comment Tomas. You know the white powdery rock you were talking about earlier?"

"What about it."

"Let's call it limestone, for now, to make things easier going forward."

"Understood," Tomas replied.

"Anyways the list. Acquire a large quantity of limestone, sand, gravel and a few armfuls of any rocks that look similar to it. Also get a wagon full of bricks. I leave the exact quantities to you but the cargo all together should be about 3 wagons assuming 1 horse to a wagon." Sypher turned to Edmond to continue.

"I also have some items for you to acquire. Get a wagon full of each of the following: iron ore, steel, and a few miscellaneous items. For the miscellaneous items; a some forged iron and any other materials you think could be used to make tools or weapons." Sypher paused and reached inside his coat.

"I realize you will have to buy some of the things so here," Sypher pulled out a large bag and put it on the table. "Here is a bag of gold coins. They aren't the same as the kingdom's currency but they are solid gold so they should have value. By weight, it should be worth about 500 of the kingdom's coins according to the chief.

All three of the villagers nearly fainted at hearing those words. _500 gold coins. That's enough to buy a small mansion or for a family to live comfortably for life._ Edmond had hoped they would get money otherwise it would be nigh impossible to complete the task but not this much.

At their shock Sypher asked "Is it not enough money? If so, I can supply you with more gold."

"No the money is more than sufficient my lord, but are you sure you want to give a few commoners this much" Tomas asked while struggling to keep his composure.

Sypher sighed. "First of all don't worry about being commoners anymore. While you do serve me and Ainz, you can think of me as your boss or leader, not your master, when working on any project like this. Secondly, this is a trifling sum. It's from my personal reserve as well so I don't think Ainz will mind giving it."

"Understood," Tomas said. _Just who is this man to treat his subjects so kindly and have such wealth to give away?_ As he looked around he could tell that the other two were thinking the same thing.

"Ah, one last thing. You will be transporting a lot of cargo and as I saw from earlier, bandits and thievery are a problem. I'll be giving you some bodyguards to defend you if needed."

Sypher put his hand to his head. [Message]. "Ainz you there?"

"What's up?" Ainz replied.

"Can you send me 4 shadow demons. I have a mission for some of the villagers and I think it would be better if they are protected."

"Got it."

Suddenly a black portal appeared as Sypher returned to reality. The three humans were expecting something to come out as it did before, but to their eyes, nothing happened. It just opened and closed.

"Shadow demons, protect those two humans and their allies," Sypher said pointing at Edmond and Tomas.

"D-Demons?" Edmond asked clearly shaking in fear.

"Ah do not worry. As a powerful magic caster, Ainz can summon demons that are absolutely loyal with little free-will. They will serve to protect you in case of attack. From what we saw of the knights, they should be able to defend against most threats.

"R-Right" Edmond said slightly more relaxed.

"Right, I will see you in a week's time after some experimentation. Good luck and be safe."

With that Sypher left and teleported back to Nazarick.

* * *

1\. For Sypher's human appearance, think Tatsuya from Irregular at Magic High School with Kirito's outfit but with scaled for protection.

2\. I'm just going to say that Ainz and Sypher are from the US rather than Japan.


	5. Experimentation

**Chapter 5: Experimentation**

 **Location: Sypher's Room 10th Floor**

* * *

 _TLDR version of science dump at the bottom_

* * *

 _I asked them to get all those materials because_ I _figured we could start the industrial revolution early but I guess I forgot about the prerequisites._ Sypher thought to himself. _We assume this world is the same but all the machines and structures are based on Newton's laws which is yet to be verified. Electromagnetism also needs to be verified. I guess I could work on those_

Sypher got to work converting his personal bedroom into a new workshop.

 _The first thing to do is to confirm Newton's laws._ Sypher sat in his chair and stared at the ceiling. _From what I've observed so far in this world, the third law appears to be normal meaning that the equations and conjectures from it are probably true. If I can prove the second law then the first law should also be true if we assume the mass of an object has to be non-zero. Right, let's get started._

Sypher messaged Ainz, "Hey I'm going to take the armor and equipment from the knights we captured, were they anything special?"

"No, they were just regular steel. No enchants either. The knights were notably weaker compared to the other humans we captured as well so I guess it makes sense." Ainz replied, clearly perturbed by something.

"Ok, I'll grab them myself. Their weapons are in the prison right?"

"Yeah.

"How are you holding up, with the whole undead ruler of a nation thing."

"Well, I've been experimenting with magic so far. The only thing that appears different is my summons require corpses now, but they are also permanent."

"Really," Sypher curiously asked. He wondered if any of his magic had changed.

"Yeah. Well, I have to go. Apparently, those elite soldiers are being interrogated now by Demiurge."

Sypher grimaced at the thought. "I thought he and Albedo were working on a list."

"It seems the finished already," Ainz replied.

"That was quick!" Sypher was surprised. He had thought for sure it would be a week at least.

"Yeah, apparently Demiurge thought we were testing them or something so he and Albedo further delegated the tasks to the other guardians and got it done quickly. They managed to buy the excuse that we are attending to personal matter though so we have some time."

"O-Okay then." After cutting off the [Message], Sypher got the weapons and armor and laid them in his room.

Sypher broke off the non-steel parts of the gear and threw them to the side. He then proceeded to form a number of different items. (3)

When he was done there were many steel items spread out on the table that any craftsman would be confused as the purpose for. Firstly, and probably most importantly, there was a long thin stick with tiny notches incrementally etched into the steel. On every tenth tick, the line was lengthened a number placed underneath. He doubted that each tick was exactly a millimeter apart but he was sure they were evenly spaced.

One of Sypher's assassin advantages in any transformation was his superior kinetic vision and precision. However, varying races would have different agility stats so it was not a huge advantage combat wise. Sypher grinned at his realization.

 _I effectively have a high-speed camera on me at all times. This'll save a lot of time._

The next couple of items were relatively simple compared to the ruler, but still equally important. There were four steel blocks 80mm x 40mm x 20 mm and a larger steel block that was 300mm x 40mm x 20mm. All five pieces had trapezoidal slots cut in them. (4)

There was also a pulley that looked like it was polished enough to use as a mirror along with a small stand for the pulley. Sypher pulled a rope out of his inventory, cut off a bit to size and assembled his contraption. Finally, he created a few small wheels.

The longest steel bar was placed flat on the table with the pulley at the end. Between the two blocks, he placed 4 of the wheels so it could roll freely. He bonded the wheels to the block in such a way to create a cart. He connected both ends of the rope to two of the four smaller blocks and strung it over the pulley with one hanging off the table. Now the only problem was measurement. In the game, they always had a UI with a clock so there was no need for an item. Making a watch would take too long so Sypher decided to take a different approach.

[Message]. "Albedo can you hear me?"

"Yes lord Sypher, I am here!" Albedo enthusiastically responded.

"I require your assistance with an experiment. Please meet me in my quarters."

"Of course my lord, shall I need to prepare in any way?" Albedo asks with clear sexual undertones.

"... No. I just need your help." Sypher replied flatly.

"Right away my lord."

 _I figured she would react like that._ Sypher knew about Albedo's programming he figured along with the experiments he could figure out how to deal with Albedo. After all her organizational ability was proven already, so she could be very helpful in taking over the world.

A short while later there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Sypher said loudly.

Albedo opened the door and bowed. "I have come as you requested. How may I assist you." She glanced at the strange contraption on the desk.

"I need you to h-help me with… testing this device." Sypher stuttered for a second. He felt flushed.

 _Why do I feel nervous now? Is he appearance turning me on? I mean I'm in a human form now so it makes sense. This is the first time I've seen her in normal clothing since everything calmed down after all. Wait! Focus!_ Sypher slapped his cheeks.

"Lord Sypher is everything alright?" Albedo looked at his actions curiously.

"Ahem, yes everything is alright." Sypher paused and reached into his inventory. He withdrew a long wooden board and a small knife. "Anyways, please come here and hold this board."

Albedo nodded and followed the instructions.

"Right, when I release this block," Sypher motioned at the bottom block, "this car on the slide should move as well. As soon as it starts moving, slowly slide the board you are holding across the table at a constant speed. It is very important that you move the board straight and at a constant speed."

Sypher had marked out the 50 and 100 mm points on the side of the track, so with his kinetic vision, he figured he could replace a sensor for simplicity and quickly stab the board whenever the cart passed the mark. There would be a delay but as long as the delay was the same for both measurements the data should be valid.

"Okay Albedo, do a practice run first," Sypher said.

After practicing a few times, and Sypher confirming there were no erroneous factors, he dropped the weight again and took the real measurements.

Klunk! Klunk!

As the knife hit the board, two noticeable marks were left in it.

"Right let's repeat that once more for consistency." After repeating it again. Sypher added on another one of the steel blocks from before to the weight hanging off the table. _According to F=ma, the tension in the rope should linearly change with mass so the force on the cart should double._

He repeated the prior experiment twice more and then twice more again after adding the third weight.

 _Hmm,_ Sypher thought. After examining and measuring the boards, Sypher determined that the time between tick marks roughly modeled a polynomial decay thus confirming that Newton's laws are also valid in this world. _I should probably make sure gravity is still the same and then_ _the next thing to do is test electromagnetism. Although I probably can't get a value for g without a decent timing system. Objects don't seem to fall that different so it's probably similar to Earth. I'll look into it later._

"Albedo, please go and fetch someone that can easily use 5th tier lighting magic."

"Right away my lord," Albedo said as she bowed and exited the room.

 _Steel should be ferromagnetic meaning that in a magnetic field it will become a temporary magnet. If I can magnetize a sword and measure how much force it has on some sample then I can probably assume maxwell's equations are also true._ He propped a ruler against the wall to prepare for the next experiment.

Sypher created three more steel pieces, one 5mm long piece with a 0.75mm x0.75mm cross-section, another one with twice the length, and one more with triple the length. _Assuming the density of steel is the same, these should move to a temporary magnet that is charged by lighting._

There was a knock on the door. "Come in."

Albedo and Narberal Gamma of the Pleiades walked in.

"I have returned lord. Narberal is able to cast 5th tier magic lighting spells with ease." Albedo said while both she and Narberal bowed.

"Good. Narberal please stand in the center of the room," Sypher gestured. "I want you to cast [Dragon Lighting] but try to generate the lightning between your hands, do not target anything."

"As you wish my lord," Narberal commented while moving to position.

Sypher picked up a sword. "[Enchant: Greater heat resistance]." This way the sword wouldn't melt or warp changing the expected magnetic properties. "Albedo when Narberal casts the magic I want you to wave the sword near the lighting arc for 20-30 seconds. After that please take it to the table and hold it above these three keys." Sypher gestured at the small pieces of steel he made earlier before continuing, "keep moving it towards the table until I tell you to stop. Understood?"

"I understand Lord," Albedo replied while taking the sword from Sypher.

"Good then let's begin."

As Narberal cast the magic, a blinding light filled the room. Any human with their eyes open would have had their corneas burned out instantly.

Albedo waved the sword as instructed around the arc of lighting looking disappointed as nothing visible happened; however, she continued as Sypher asked at risk of displeasing her lord.

After 30 seconds, the magic stopped and Albedo took the sword to the table. At first, she held it about a foot from the surface of the table. As it was gradually lowered, Sypher could see the pieces start to shake. After the sword got to around 1 inch from the table, something happened.

Plink! The smallest piece flew up and stuck to the sword blade. Plink! Plink! As it continued down, the other two pieces followed in suit. "Stop."

Albedo stopped moving the blade.

"That's good for now, you can drop the sword," Sypher said.

Albedo placed the sword down as Sypher analyzed the situation. After looking at the numbers, he concluded that they followed a linear gain indicating that magnetic forces behaved the same way.

 _It's a bit of a leap but I suppose I can assume the rest of Maxwell's equations are also true in this world. I suppose I won't be making anything that really needs them for a while anyway._ Sypher thought to himself.

"Narberal and Albedo you may go now," Sypher said.

"As you wish my lord," both of them curtly said with a bow as they left the room.

 _Now, what's next. I suppose I could consider weaponry. Although we might already have more powerful weapons than the ones from our own world thanks to magic._ Sypher thought back to the village attack. He remembered seeing the sword from one of the knights shatter after hitting the death knight. _Judging from the other swords, they should be decently made so to shatter a solid steel sword is quite impressive. The shear modulus of iron is around 60 GPa so steel should be stronger than that._

Sypher paused for a bit to try to remember the properties of steel. _It should be a relatively tough material so breaking something as thick as a sword spine will require a tremendous impact. The bullets we can make would deliver around 1500 J of energy assuming magic is used to enhance it. I'm pretty sure a sword wouldn't break at that, but it broke against a monster with level 45 defense._

In Yggdrasil, levels scaled exponentially so a level 45 defense was a joke to anyone level 80 or above. _Even the Pleiades shouldn't have too much trouble because of their optimized builds._ Sypher thought.

He decided to forgo weapon design until steel and concrete production was stabilized. Both for resources and keeping control over the villagers. If the humans had to rely on him and Ainz to provide defense against other countries, then their loyalty would increase as long as they defended.

Sypher also had another reason to delay firearm production. He wanted to introduce technology and cause humanity to enter a technology race, not with the aim of domination, but to increasing standard of living. Sypher figured this would prevent a lot of the war and destruction that lead to the dystopian future that he and Ainz had come from.

 _I'll probably just get Ainz to post the Pleiades there or something_. After a breath, he continued, _anyways back to work_ Sypher thought with a grin.

* * *

 **Location: Re-Estize Kingdom Capital Palace**

In the palace of the Re-Estize Kingdom, 7 men sat around a rectangular table. 6 middle-aged men of varying hair color sat at the sides while the last man with greying hair headed the table. Next, to the head, Gazef Stronoff stood as he finished his report about the incident at Carne Village.

"That story is preposterous! The Slane Theocracy's elite units were attacking villager and were somehow wiped out by a meager 3 fighters. Impossible!" Marquis Boullope shouted while standing at the table. "Your majesty, this is clearly some excuse the head warrior has come up with cover his failures with the destroyed villages.

Gazed wanted to punch the man but remained as stoic as ever. Marquis Boullope long wanted to remove Gazef from his post due to his commoner roots. He also had reason to believe that some of the noble faction were conspiring with the Slane theocracy to eliminate him and deal a strong blow to the royal faction.

"I can assure everyone here that I speak the truth. He was even able to defeat what the scripture called 'their strongest angel'," Gazef paused for a second. "I have no doubt that the attacks from it would annihilate person that fought it." There were audible gasps and visible jaw drops around the room.

"I for one believe him," Marquis Raevan spoke up. He looked to the king for confirmation to continue.

"It is clear that they are fighters who have reached the realm of heroes and they are sympathetic towards the people of the kingdom. Should we not find a way to recruit him to serve the kingdom? A fighting strength like that would be tremendous and greatly help in pushing back the yearly advances of the Baharuth empire," Raevan exclaimed with vigor.

 _If someone like that could serve the princess, her power would shoot up exponentially. Even if she doesn't reach the throne, her political influence might even reach or surpass that of the king himself._ Raevan schemed internally as the nobles thought among themselves.

"That would indeed be a great asset to the kingdom, " Count Lytton spoke up.

Gazef was unsure about Raevan's plans but couldn't do anything as the nobles schemed amongst themselves about how to recruit Ainz Ooal Gown to serve the kingdom.

Little did they know the very people they hoped to subjugate were planning to overthrow them as they spoke.

* * *

(3): Google 'Lab 3 - Newton's Second Law' and click on first webassign link.

Link to experiment Sypher conducted.

(4). Image search '80/20' Cross Section on google  
Link depicting a cross section of the block.

Fan fiction unfortunately doesn't allow links

TLDR of Science Dump:

Sypher verifies physics works the same in the new world as their world. He also decides to prioritize industry development rather than weaponry because he believes that Nazarick is strong enough for the near future and he wants to protect humanity.

* * *

 _As always thanks for reading. Will try to update more frequently._

 _Announcement: I am looking for someone to proofread and/or assist with writing. PM me if you are interested._


	6. Making Plans

**Chapter 6: Making Plans**

* * *

After seeing some of the reviews, I felt it appropriate to answer some of the questions.

Response to reviews:

 **The Blight** : I haven't forgotten about modern weaponry. Gunpowder-based firearms just felt too easy. Like you said it is a new world with magic after all. I'll let you and other readers guess what that means :P. Also, regarding gravity, it seems I forgot to put a line in. Thanks for the reminder. However, I couldn't figure out a way that he could compute a constant for gravity without a way to measure time or mass. For the previous tests, it was just comparing a trend with the first measurement being "x".

 **I am the string cutter** : I will say 1 and half of your predictions are correct. I'll leave it at that :P

Enjoy the story!

* * *

It had been 5 days since Ainz and Sypher had been mysteriously transported to this new world. In that time, they had saved over a hundred people from death and openly declared their intent to take over the world to several monsters who could probably single-handedly wipe out one of this world's countries if they were out of control.

 _We've certainly been busy,_ Sypher thought as he recalled the events of the last few days. He had worn a ring of sustenance to work more efficiently but it didn't completely remove the need to eat or sleep. With things calming down a bit as he waited for the villagers to finish their tasks, the hunger pains started to hit him.

 _If I recall correctly there are restaurants and Cafeterias on the 9th floor. I'll just head to the cafeteria to see what food is like here,_ Sypher decided as he teleported to the 9th floor.

As Sypher walked into the cafeteria, everyone froze. The cafeteria was primarily used by the maids of Nazarick. Even seeing a guardian here was rare because they had their own subordinates to serve them when food was required. Thus, seeing a supreme being was a sight indeed.

Sypher noticed that everyone present had stopped what they were doing and stood at attention. "You can what you were doing. I'm just grabbing some food," Sypher said as he made his way to the food counter. He turned to the chef behind the counter, "can I get 3 of your best dishes."

"Right away Lord Sypher!" The homunculus chef exclaimed while struggling to hold back his excitement.

 _To think I get the honor of cooking for a supreme being, I must make sure this is perfect!_ The chef thought as he bustled about the kitchen preparing the food.

After noticing Sypher waiting at the counter, one of the kitchen assistants spoke up. "Lord Sypher please take a seat if you wish. Once your meal is ready, I will bring it to you."

"Ah thank you," Sypher said as he went to take a seat. He noticed that even after sitting down, all the maids in the room were still standing ready to serve.

"Ahem," Sypher cleared his throat to try to sound like a ruler. "All of you can continue your meals as you were."

"Nonsense Lord Sypher, we live to serve the supreme beings at any moment."

 _Ugh, they aren't going to compromise here are they. Fine._ "Then one of you may stand by my side." Sypher looked around for a maid that looked like they finished eating. He found one and pointed at her, "What is your name?"

"I am Sixth my Lord," the maid said with a curtsied bow.

"If you are finished eating, then you may stand by while I eat," Sypher turned back to the room. "I want the rest of you to continue as you were." _Ugh. If it's going to be this much of a hassle every time I eat I should probably just order food to my room._

After a few minutes, the chef and a kitchen assistant brought up a tray of food.

"My apologies for the wait Lord Sypher. Here is your meal as requested." The chef lifted the lid and Sypher went wide-eyed. _The smell is so heavenly mere words can't do it justice. On top of that, it looks like something straight out of an anime,_ Sypher thought as he looked at the food.

In front of him, the chef had placed a bowl of creamy red-orange soup in front of him that smelled of the ocean and was garnished with what looked to be herbs.

"Since you asked for 3 dishes, I took the liberty of creating a course menu for you. First, we have lobster bisque garnished with fresh herbs." The chef lifted the second dish and continued, "for the main course we have prepared a dragon steak with frost pheasant foie gras and topped with alfheim truffle."

The chef lifted the third dish and concluded, "for dessert, we have an ice cream flan using a combination of alfheim berries and vanilla for the ice cream as well as golden goose eggs for the flan."

"We have enchanted all the dishes so they will keep the food at optimal temperature as long as you wish, so please take your time to enjoy," the chef finished with a smile and a bow.

After the chef finished, Sypher took a spoonful of the bisque.

 _Delicious! This is way better than anything back on earth. The only thing that would compare is the occasional fancy restaurant I got to go to for business deals. I haven't tried them yet but the rest of the course looks equally as delicious,_ Sypher thought.

Sypher didn't realize he had just paused for a minute and the chef had started sweating.

"Lord Sypher, is there something not to your liking? I can change it if you wish," the chef asked nervously.

"Ah no, everything is great. The food is delicious," Sypher replied after seeing the chefs nervousness.

"Ah that is wonderful," the chef replied with an ecstatic sigh. It was clear he was trying to control his enthusiasm at the compliment.

"I have a question. Are you the only chef or are there others who can cook as well as you."

"There are other chefs my lord. The most skilled chef would be the head chef who resides in the restaurant on this floor. He normally cooks for the guardians and supreme beings so I was surprised by your presence here today."

 _Ah, that makes sense,_ Sypher thought. Sypher was one of the members of Ainz Ooal Gown that didn't end up creating an NPC. He mostly worked with the traps and helped design the guardians' abilities to reinforce Nazarick better. As the 9th floor was mostly leisure, he didn't know much about the NPCs or facilities here. _I'll need to ask Ainz later about the facilities._

"Ah well thank you for the meal and your time. You may go back to your work and I'll tell you my full thoughts on the meal afterward," Sypher said to the chef

"As you wish my lord," the chef said as he bowed and returned to work.

After Sypher finished the meal and gave his compliments to the chef, he teleported back to his room.

 _Well, that's food handled. Maybe I should get back to the whole 'creating a nation thing',_ Sypher thought. [Message]

 _"Hey Ainz, you there?"_

 _"Yeah, I'm here. What's up."_

"I think I've had enough of our little 'work-cation' and am going to start planning how to govern Carne Village. You want to join in or wait a bit longer," Sypher asked.

"Honestly, I'd rather it never but considering our actions so far sooner is better than later. You'll need to deal with the guardians' overzealous loyalty for now though," Ainz hesitated for a second as if he was unsure of his thoughts. "I'll try to practice appearing as a ruler so until then you'll need to step up."

Sypher was surprised. He didn't think Ainz would try to embrace the situation as he was. "Okay. Don't push yourself too hard though. Remember I got your back and so does the rest of Nazarick. Like you said, Ainz Ooal Gown stands as one with the might of all our friends behind us."

"Thanks," Ainz replied sincerely.

"Anyways I'll take over the meetings for now so just roll with my plans and just speak up if you have objections," Sypher said. Ainz nodded in response.

"Oh yeah, one question. Should we let the guardians enter the roundtable conference chambers. We had it set so that NPCs don't enter for some roleplaying reason I think but I feel that given the current situation, we should let the guardians enter at least."

Ainz pondered for a few seconds before responding, "I don't see why not. But why ask now, there are other conference rooms available."

"You'll see. I have a plan," Sypher said as he cut off the message with Ainz.

He messaged Albedo, "Albedo, please gather the guardians and Sebas in front of the 9th floor round table room in an hour"

"As you wish my lord," Albedo replied quickly.

* * *

After an hour, everyone had gathered in front of the two ebony doors. Sypher was the first to speak.

"Everyone, I have gathered you here today to discuss our first moves for expanding our empire. As far as the reason for meeting in front of this room," Sypher paused for a second, "well I'll explain inside." He looked to Ainz for confirmation and received a nod.

"But this is a room reserved for the supreme beings. Beings like ourselves are not worthy to enter such sacred territory," Demiurge stated while bowing. All the other NPCs nodded in agreement.

"Well consider this an order for me. Enter the room," Ainz spoke up in his magically deep voice that commanded respect.

After some hesitation Albedo stood up, "thank you for granting us this opportunity my lords."

Sypher and Ainz nodded as everyone stepped inside the room. The NPCs all looked around the room in awe despite it being less elaborate than the throne room.

Sypher looked to Ainz, "Go ahead and cast it," he gestured to the massive table in front of them. [Telekinesis]. As Ainz cast the spell, 7 chairs were pulled back at various places at the table.

"There are names written on the back of each chair, please find yours and take a seat."As all the guardians eventually found their seats and sat down, Sypher and Ainz sat at their respective seats.

"Now then please read the text at the top of the chair," Sypher continued.

"Buku… buku- ah," Mare shriek-gasped after reading the name. The other guardians had similar reactions as they jumped to their feet.

Sypher spoke: "Now now, calm yourselves. As you can tell, these are the seats your creators once sat in but-"

"Forgive me for interrupting, but we are not worthy of sitting in their seats. To do so would be to assume we are equal to the supreme beings. That would be the height of arrogance," Demiurge frantically replied.

Sypher stood up and materialized an ornate looking sword from his inventory. He slammed the sword down and spoke in the most leaderly fashion he could muster, "Please hear us out."

Ainz usually had a replica of the guild weapon with him to add to the ruler persona. Sypher felt it might be appropriate to carry a signature weapon as a show of power and authority befitting someone who is second in command. _I know the NPCs are completely loyal, so it's probably not needed. But it still feels cool,_ Sypher thought to himself.

"Forgive me, Lord," Demiurge spoke as he kneeled with the other guardians following in suit.

"Enough. stand up all of you, " Sypher said

After all the guardians stood up, he sighed and continued, "As you know, your creator and many of the other supreme beings appear to be missing." Sypher paused for a minute to make sure he really wanted to continue. He looked to Ainz who gave him a nod, "Unfortunately, we have no idea where they might be or how to reach them. It is possible they might be in this world but they could also be back in Yggdrasil," Sypher solemnly said.

 _That being said most of us quit and gave their gear to Ainz. Even if they were transported, there is no telling what happened to them. Of course, I can't say any of that to the guardians._ He could only imagine the drama that would cause after talking with Ainz earlier.

 **Flashback: 30 minutes before the meeting**

"Ainz I've been thinking about how we got to this world," Sypher said.

"What about it."

"I think we need to consider the possibility that none of our guildmates are here," Sypher said with a blank face.

"What! How could you say that" Ainz shouted in response while his emotion passive kicked in?

"Hey calm down and hear me out," Sypher took a breath before continuing. I don't like it as much as you do, but we need to consider some facts. First, this world does not match up with any of the 9 worlds of Yggdrasil. Secondly, only Nazarick got transported to this world, none of the land surrounding it. That means it probably has something to do with Nazarick or specific guild base conditions or something along those lines that caused it. Since we were the only ones online, it seems to have only affected us. Thirdly, we don't know if other players exist in this world or not-"

"Exactly! We don't know if anyone else from Yggdrasil is here. If there is the possibility, then it is possible that our friends might have also been transported despite not being online. We might not be alone!" Ainz was frantic now.

"Look given the weirdness of the situation, until we have clear traces of players being here I'm choosing to believe otherwise. Those soldiers from the Slane theocracy had an item but for all said and done this world might just share a magic system. Until we can explain how magic works in this world, there are simply too many variables present," Sypher grimaced. "I'd rather not get my hopes up at seeing our friends again on a hunch."

"I suppose you have a point," Ainz replied dejectedly.

"Well, we might be able to gain more info during the meeting. If I recall demiurge was interrogating the prisoners." Ainz nodded in response

The NPCs all had looks of despair on their faces as Sypher put forward a truth they didn't want to comprehend. He spoke up before things could get too out of hand.

"However, as we said before they are not gone for good," Sypher gestured at the NPCs, "all of you are their creations. In a way, you are their children and when the parent is unable, it is the child's role to take up their responsibilities and continue on. Just like a master trains their student to surpass them, a good parent hopes that their child will one day surpass them. After observing you for the last couple days, Ainz and I both agree that all of you are following in the footsteps of your creators." Sypher paused to see the shocked faces of the guardians and waited for this words to sink in.

"Right now we are in a situation where we must reunite Ainz Ooal Gown. To do that, you who can carry on the legacy of your creators must step up and take on the responsibilities left to you. You are not servants of the supreme beings, you are alive, you are real, you are the guardians of the Great Tomb of Nazarick! You must not just serve us, but stand side by side with us to protect your home, and the family we call Ainz Ooal Gown!" Sypher raised his arms as Ainz materialized the guilds banner in the center of the room.

Sypher was internally panicking, _I hope that went alright._ Wait did I mess up the order? _Honestly, Ainz's speech earlier felt a lot more inspiring than mine. Maybe I should just leave the emotional and motivational stuff to him from now on. Yep, this is why Ainz is the leader._ Sypher played back his performance mentally while discreetly scanning the room to see the reactions of the NPCs, only to find all of them with somewhat surprised, borderline confused reactions. _This tells me nothing!_

After at least a few minutes of silence, Albedo spoke up in a serious tone, "my lords I think I speak for everyone here with my words." There were silent nods around the room. "We have heard your decree and will seek to follow to the best of our abilities. While we are far-reaching the power and wisdom of our creators, we will stand by your side and endeavor to reach the level of ability of supreme beings so that we may live up to our creators' expectations. We thank you for your infinite kindness and generosity." All the guardians were kneeling at this point.

"That is good. All of you please take your seats so that we may continue. We have a number of things to discuss." Sypher said while sitting down himself.

After all the NPCs sat down he continued, "the first order of business is information. Demiurge, I believe you interrogated the men we captured from the village.

"Yes Lord Sypher," Demiurge said while standing up to speak. "I learned a number of things from the human prisoners. Although they didn't speak at first after we used mind control magic they spoke quite freely."

Sypher breathed an internal sigh of relief that Demiurge had the intelligence to use magic rather than torture. "So what did you find out," Sypher asked.

"Firstly, they come from a country to the south known as Slane Theocracy. The nation is mostly humans with elves and other demihumans used as slaves. They have a strong non-human prejudice that is built around their gods."

Everyone in the room was visibly angry. Since Ainz Ooal Gown was a guild of exclusively heteromorphs, they made enemies of the human supremacist guilds. _It seems like all the NPCs have a dislike of humans due to the enemies we made in Yggdrasil,_ Sypher thought.

"Furthermore, they claim that the magic system and items they use were passed down from these gods hundred of years ago." Sypher and Ainz shot up at this information.

"Demiurge are you sure that is what you heard. Did more than one of the prisoners say this," Ainz asked almost frantically.

"Yes my lord. All of the prisoners, even the ones not under mind control agreed."

"Sypher a word," Ainz looked at Sypher.

 _"These gods taught the exact magic system that Yggdrasil uses and even gave items like sealing crystals. They have to be players!"_ Ainz messaged Sypher.

 _"Yeah, it definitely is suspicious. I need to ask a few more questions."_

"Demiurge, what else do you know about these gods," Sypher asked clearly worried.

"Regrettably that is all the important information I got. From their equipment, it did not seem like these 'gods' of theirs would be of any threat."

"Tsk," Sypher gritted his teeth in annoyance. "We will continue this meeting in a little while. Demiurge, concentrate Nazarick's POP and mercenary forces on the top 3 floors. Have everyone else stand on guard on their main floors. In addition, use the mirrors of remote viewing to scry the surrounding areas for a 5-mile perimeter to make sure no one is attacking. Sebas please assist him." Sebas and Demiurge went to increase the defenses of Nazarick.

"The rest of you, follow me and Ainz to the prison to continue the interrogation." With that, the group teleported to the 5th floor at the entrance to the prison. They were greeted by Neuronist Painkill.

"Welcome Lord Ainz, Lord Sypher, and guardians to the frozen prison," the grey blob of tentacles that looked straight out of a horror movie known as Neuronist Painkill said with a bow. Before she had a chance to continue, Ainz spoke up.

"We need to talk to the prisoners demiurge was interrogating earlier. Please take us to them."

"Right away my lord," Neuronist Painkill said. After the group reached the torture room, they pulled the captain Nigun out.

"P-P-Please no more. I told you everything I know," Nigun stammered out fearing the pain of that demon would return.

"Shut up," Ainz said bluntly. "[Ultimate Mind Control]." It was a 10th tier spell so definitely overkill for anything of this world.

"Tell us everything you know about your gods. Their names, powers, equipment, anything."

Nigun now in a trance now started to speak slowly, "I only know two of the names. Alah Alaf, the god of life, and Surashana, the god of death."

 _This can't be a coincidence. From what I've seen all the human countries around here are European based with the villagers telling some stories of possible Asian influences from the south. Language structure, its the same as our world. Alah Alaf and Surashana are definitely named with Arabic and Indian origins. Even if there are other continents here, it's unlikely they were the only ones to make the trip to this continent and be extremely powerful,_ Sypher thought to himself.

Nigun continued "the god of life carried a golden staff inlaid with gemstones that shone every color of the rainbow. He held ultimate control over life, being able to resurrect anyone from death. The god of death wielded a night black scythe with white inlays. He was the ruler of death, being able to kill any foe with a single spell."

 _"Hey Ainz these are really starting to sound like Yggdrasil players,"_ Sypher said over Message.

 _"Yeah. I'm pretty sure that gemstones in the staff are prismatic ore. Also, I'm sure the magic he mentioned is instant death magic. The 8th tier is the lowest instant death magic available. From what we've heard I doubt anyone in this world can come close to casting it."_

Sypher nodded with a worried gulp before continuing, "Where are these gods now?"

"The gods left this world hundreds of years ago and trusted us of the Slane theocracy to protect humanity from the monsters that roam this earth and feast on humans," Nigun replied while slumped over.

Sypher and Ainz were still in thought for a few minutes before Sypher spoke up. "I think that we don't have to worry about these gods as much as we thought."

"Why not!? If they are level 100 players, 6 of them could cause major damage," Ainz said.

"While we should stay cautious, we will probably be fine if we act defensively. We have us two, 10 level 100 NPCs, a number of world items, hordes of additional monsters, and a tiered dungeon as our base," Sypher took a pause before continuing. 6 players can't make up a decent raid party even if they are level 100 because the NPCs can move out of their respective floors. Even if they can use the people of this world, numbers are not a problem. We did defend against 1500 players after all. Furthermore, you heard what Nigun said about the gods."

"What that they had left this world," Ainz asked.

"Yes. Judging by the anti-human sentiment, I'm guessing they were all human players. That would mean in this world, they would age and have a limited lifespan. In all likeliness the died of old age," Sypher said.

"That is true. But their Yggdrasil items are still a problem. If they had divine class items, it could be a problem," Ainz replied in a worried manner.

"Hmm, that is true," Sypher thought for a minute. "We have our own divine class gear though. If we need more users, the guardians can temporarily use the ones from the mausoleum. I know you'd rather not give those items out but if it comes to it we might have to."

Ainz couldn't express facial emotions, but Sypher could tell he was frowning. "Fine. Only if we have to. I made a promise to keep their gear if they eventually return. Now that we know that other players could have appeared in this world, it isn't impossible that our friends might have."

"Right. Just don't get too eager at finding them, we need to handle this situation strategically and stick to a plan," Sypher said. While there was a possibility that their friends might be here, Sypher was starting to grow accustomed to the villagers and this world. He really wanted to succeed with his plans in order to make sure it didn't end up the same as their old one.

"Let's get back to the meeting, call back Demiurge and Sebas but tell them to keep the forces where they are," Sypher asked Ainz.

After Ainz nodded in confirmation, the group went back to the conference room.

* * *

After a short while, Ainz, Sypher, and all the guardians were back in the conference room. Sypher stood up and spoke.

"Right. Since we have deemed that these 'gods' of theirs are not a threat, we shall continue as planned. However, keep your guard up for any intruders," Sypher's voice echoed across the room. The table was enchanted so that despite its massive size conversations could still be easily had.

"Our next goal is to find out more about the surrounding countries. Ainz if you will?" Sypher gestured to Ainz. Ainz reached into his inventory and pulled out a map. After spreading it out on the table he cast a spell, [triplet magic: Projection]. Suddenly, three large holographic screens popped up in the center of the table. This way everyone could see the maps correctly.

Sypher walked over to Ainz and continued, "We are currently here." He put a circled X where Nazarick was located in the middle of a forest. "The village Ainz, Albedo and I visited is here. The other labeled pieces on the map are the surrounding countries.

They had gotten this map from the Slane Theocracy soldiers. It was better than the ones the village had to offer so he and Ainz had opted to use this one till they could chart the area themselves.

"We are currently in the territory of the Re-Estize Kingdom, and bordered by the Slane Theocracy and Baharuth Empire. We believe our first target for information should be the Kingdom as it is the closest to our territory. Any Objections or suggestions?"

"How would you want us to go about gathering information from the humans my lord," Demiurge inquired?

"I have a couple ideas but Ainz and I would like your suggestions. Feel free to speak at will," Sypher said while sitting back down.

Demiurge stood up, "thank you for your consideration, my lords. I propose a three-part plan. First, we scout out the capital city using troops skilled in stealth. After confirming there are no threats, we should send in a doppelganger to replace a high ranked human. Of course, we will need to capture the human first to ensure our ruse is not discovered. By using this method, we can find out the current affairs of the humans. Finally, we can use the human's position to influence their view of the government. If the people have a less favorable view of the ruling class, then they will readily come under our banner just as your Excellencies did with the villagers."

 _Hmm,_ Sypher paused for a few minutes to think. "I see the merits of such a plan; however, one pawn will not be enough. We will also need to replace those close to the human and anyone that might sport anything wrong due to the adjustment period of the doppelganger."

Sypher was referring to how the doppelganger would need time to adjust to match the behavior of the person it was mimicking.

"That is a concern. However, with our stealth troops and the level of humans in this world, discretely killing a handful of humans poses no problem," Demiurge replied with a malicious grin.

"Forgive me for interrupting, but I have objections to this plan," Sebas said as an annoyed look formed over Demiurge's face. "I believe we should aim for the least number of casualties possible."

"Explain your reasoning Sebas," Ainz asked inquisitively.

"If we avoid innocent deaths then it will be easier to get the people's support going forward," Sebas calmly replied.

"That is why we have stealth troops in reserve to hide the deaths. Also-" Sypher raised his hand to cut off Demiurge.

"Then Sebas do you have another strategy in mind," Sypher asked.

"Yes my lord. I agree with the first part of Demiurge's plan to scout the area for powerful enemies. However, for the next part, I suggest we introduce a new character that will mingle with the common people. Acting as a mercenary type character, they can help and make people trust them."

This time, Albedo was the one to speak up "That doesn't address the issue of collecting information though."

"We can collect information about what is the standard for magic and combat strength from soldiers and the like. From Demiurge's report about the prisoners, I believe becoming one of these adventurers will be an efficient way to execute this task."

"Thank you for your suggestions," Sypher turned to face everyone " does anyone have any objections?"

After no response from everyone present, he spoke "then it is time to take a vote. Everyone in favor of Demiurge's plan please raise your hand."

Demiurge, Albedo, and Shalltear raised their hands. "Three for Demiurge then. All in favor of Sebas' idea?"

Aura, Sebas, and Cocytus voted this time. "Three for Sebas as well. Mare what do you vote for," Sypher asked looking at the dark elf child.

"U-um, they both seem like good ideas so I'm not sure," Mare replied timidly.

Sensing that Demiurge or Albedo was going to start on a small tirade, Sypher spoke up. "Very well. Ainz and I shall be the tiebreaker. Please wait a moment." [Message]

" _So Ainz your thoughts?"_

" _Personally I prefer the adventurer option because it seems like fun to just go out an adventure with a friend again. Regarding any strategy, I'm deferring to you."_

" _Fair enough."_

Sypher weighed out the pros and cons in his head of each plan and came to a decision. "Ainz and I have discussed your plan in detail," the guardians looked on intently to see which decision their masters had chosen.

"We decided that a compromise would be best. Sebas, Demiurge, both your plans had their strengths and weaknesses. We felt that combining them would be the best option," the NPCs looked on inquisitively as he continued.

"Demiurge, rather than replacing a powerful figure, do you not think it would better to merely trace them. We can have Hanzos follow a few important figures. Then, if you can spare the manpower, we will have a team of magic users under your command continuously watch over their interactions with the mirror of remote viewing. I believe Ainz can cast magic to allow it to see indoors. This way we can see if there is any anti-scrying magic active as well. Of course, the team will need to be several people so that those who use the mirror are rotated every few hours."

Demiurge lit up with a wide grin, "As expected of your Lord Sypher! Only a supreme being such as yourself could come up with such a masterful plan." The others all nodded in agreement.

Sypher continued the explanation of the plan. "Then Sebas as for your suggestion. Ainz and I agreed having someone to adventure with the commoners would be a good idea. In fact, Ainz expressed interest in going himself-"

"We cannot allow that," Albedo suddenly exclaimed. "Forgive for interrupting, but we cannot allow a Supreme being to wander outside alone. How will we ensure your safety?" All the other NPCs seemed equally concerned.

"Everyone is still," the guardians all sat down. "While I may not have been the strongest out of my friends, I am still a level 100 magic caster with divine class items."

"Even so, if we the guardians cannot shield you from danger when the time comes we will have failed our purpose in life," Albedo said frantically.

 _Of course, they're like this,_ Sypher thought to himself. He decided to speak up so they could move on.

"Ainz and I will find someone to go with him as protection. However, we can discuss that another day. Let's get back on track now shall we."

"Yes Lord, thank you for acknowledging our selfish desires. My apologies once again for interrupting," Albedo said with a bow.

"Anyways, we shall have Ainz and someone else blends in with the humans. This way, they can gather knowledge at first, and then spread rumors as needed when the time is right to take over later on. Any objections Sebas?"

"None my lord," Sebas responded. All the other guardians responded in kind.

"One more concern regarding information." Ainz was the one to speak up this time. "I will be conducting research on magic in this world to see how it works and how the humans learn magic. Mare, I would like you to assist me with this task.

"W-Why me, my lord?"

"Your druid skills allow you to heal and cast spells I cannot. It will be helpful to have your knowledge on hand."

"If that is what Lord Ainz thinks, then I shall not fail you," Mare said in his usual timid manner.

* * *

"Now then for the last order of business: our defenses," Sypher turned to Demiurge. "Demiurge, as the commander of Nazarick's defenses do you have any issues or suggestions to its current state."

Demiurge thought for a while before responding, "If you permit me to speak, I do have some request to improve the defense."

"Go on."

"While the inside of Nazarick is well guarded, the outside is only protected by low-level skeletons making it vulnerable. I believe it would be prudent to reinforce it with stronger undead summons if you would be so kind," Demiurge said directing that last request at Ainz with a bow.

After confirming with Sypher, Ainz replied, "very well. Please speak with me after this meeting to see what you need."

"Thank you, my lord. In addition, the construction of a false base might be prudent."

"Please elaborate," Sypher asked inquisitively.

"If we construct a fake castle, preferably in the forest, we can lure attackers while preparing for a counter attack. Nazarick is already disguised so if an enemy finds the fake base, they will turn away from Nazarick and can be trapped inside the fake."

Sypher thought to himself for a few minutes. "That sounds acceptable. Do you have someone in mind to carry out this task?"

"Yes my lord. I believe Aura would be well suited because she can properly lead some monsters and golems for the construction. Do you have any qualms?" Demiurge turned the question to Aura.

"Nope. Sounds fun!" Aura said energetically.

"Good. Aura please gather a list of personnel and resources you would require and let me of Ainz know."

"As you wish my lord."

"Now that the issue of Nazarick's defense is settled. We should discuss the defense of the human village we acquired. Since they are now under the banner of the Sorcerer Kingdom, we will need to make sure the standard of living there is worthy of the name Ainz Ooal Gown."

"Pardon this one's ignorance lord, but why should the humans be allowed to live like those of us from Nazarick. They are beneath us," Albedo asked as if this was a normal question.

 _Sigh. I should try to nip this anti-human sentiment now before it becomes a problem,_ Sypher thought to himself. "I have a question to all of the guardians. Do you believe the humans are beneath those of Nazarick?"

The guardians' answers we across the board but had a common theme. All of them felt the humans of this world were beneath those of Nazarick for one reason or another. Even Sebas, who would willingly help the humans, was unsure if the humans were worthy of serving the Supreme Beings after seeing the soldiers of the Slane Theocracy.

 _Of course,_ Sypher thought. "While it is true the humans are weak and capable of great evil, they are strong in their own way and some are capable of great good."

"Forgive me my lord but I cannot imagine a mere human being considered strong when compared to any of the supreme beings," Albedo said while bowing.

"Let me tell you a story," Sypher started.

"A story my lord?"

"Yes. This is a story of a world where there is no magic but humans are still the dominant species. Of course, there are creatures like heteromorphs that are stronger than humans but they are not as intelligent."

All the guardians were shocked. Their knowledge and views of the world were based on the game world. On top of that, all of them were level 100 so with the average level in this world barely breaking double digits, it makes sense that many would consider such creatures as insects.

"Forgive me, but I find such a story hard to believe. With no magic, I struggle to see how creatures like humans can survive," Demiurge said still with a shocked expression on his face.

"Well let's consider it is the case in this other world. Even without magic, humans found a way to do amazing things. They could heal the injured and cure diseases that would need a high tier healing spell in this world. They could build structures that were as large and almost as grand as the Great Tomb of Nazarick itself. Humans developed tools to fly without magic and even reach the heavens. The list of achievements goes on," Sypher paused for a minute to take in the shocked faces of the NPCs hearing about their old world.

"However, as they made tools for growth, they also created tools for destruction. The cost of their growth ended up polluting their world. Eventually, even the air was poison and humans could not live without the help of their tools. Greedy humans misuse their power and almost destroyed the world in their quest for wealth and power. Humans even created weapons that surpassed our own power. The strongest of the nations could probably reduce Nazarick to a crater in less than a day." Sypher solemnly said while thinking about the terror that nuclear weapons held.

"T-That's … impossible," Cocytus said. All the other guardians were clearly trying to keep their composure.

"If the humans can be such a threat, then is it not better to eliminate them now," Demiurge stated slamming his hands on the table.

Ainz raised his hand, "Everyone calm down." The guardians all sat back down.

"Thank you Ainz. While such weapons can be built, the people of this world are hundreds of years away from reaching even a tenth of that power. We have nothing to fear for the time being. However, if we merely eliminate the humans now, we are no better than them. The humans made so many terrible weapons in the fear that their enemies had weapons that were stronger. We are different. We have the power and knowledge to be different and better."

Sypher took a break before continuing. "By ruling over the humans and guiding them on the right path, we can make sure weapons like those are never used much less created. We can ensure that the people of this world focus on working towards a peaceful future, not one ruled by fear and destruction." He sat back down after the long-winded speech.

Ainz and Sypher had expected the guardians to be quite shocked but they seemed to regain their senses in a few minutes.

Albedo spoke, "my lords, may we discuss amongst ourselves for a few minutes to process the information you gifted us."

"You may," Ainz said slightly nervous.

"Thank you, my lord." With that, the guardians got up and huddled together in the back of the room. After another few minutes had passed, they took their seats again.

Albedo spoke up, "My lords we have heard your mission. We will do everything in our power to make sure it happens. Thank you for giving us a glimpse into the thoughts of supreme beings such as yourselves.

"R-Right," Ainz shakily replied.

Sypher spoke up, "very well then back on topic. Regarding the defense of our new territory. As I have already made some plans with the people there, Ainz and I felt it only fitting if I handle all the dealing with the villagers. Any objections?"

After receiving confirmation from everyone he continued, "I also want one of the guardians to help with the management in case I am busy." He paused and looked around the room. "Albedo I would like you to assist me."

"You want me, Lord Sypher?"

"Yes, since you are the overseer of the guardians your leadership ability should come in handy if that is fine by you."

"Of course my love. I shall follow you to the ends of the earth if you so desire," Albedo frantically said while her face lit up like a tomato.

"R-Right." Sypher stuttered out. _I'll deal with her later._ "Anyways, any suggestions for defending the village. Currently, I am thinking of sending half of the Pleiades there."

Sebas was the one to speak up this time."That sounds like a solid strategy, though if I may make a suggestion lord Sypher,"

"What is it?"

"If their loyalty is solid, then it might be prudent to train the humans to fight for Nazarick. Even if they cannot match our strength, they can blend in amongst humans in other cities to act as spies in the future."

"Hmm. That is a good point Sebas; however, I don't know if we have gear that is suitable for people of their level more than the average human gear we got of the soldiers."

"I may have a solution," Albedo said speaking up. "We can give the equipment from the Nazarick Guarders to the villagers. That is if Lord Ainz finds it acceptable."

"While it will cost gold to respawn them, as long as we don't need to equip the entire village immediately, it will be fine," Ainz responded approvingly.

"Good, then we can go with that. Albedo, please have 10 sets of armor and weaponry ready in 2 days for our next trip to the village."

"As you wish Lord Sypher."

Sypher stood up and spoke. "I believe that covers all the topics at hand. Does anyone have any questions?"

Shalltear spoke up, "If I may ask, what will I be doing Lord Sypher."

"Right. You, Cocytus, and Sebas will see to the defense of the tomb. I believe all the other guardians have already gotten their tasks. Any other questions?"

After everyone was silent, Sypher continued, "Well I believe that concludes our meeting. Work hard in your tasks. Good luck."

* * *

Two days had passed since the meeting with the guardians. With everyone working according to plan, Sypher had time to create a variety of devices to advance his plans for Carne Village. For two days he used all the excess material from the soldier's equipment to make the more complicated parts of the devices.

 _There isn't enough material for everything. I suppose this was expected, the end products will be quite large after all,_ Sypher grinned while imagining the villager's reactions to these tools. The technology he had planned to implement was several hundred years old in his world but, were huge advances when they were first made.

Sypher's daydreaming was interrupted by a knock at his door.

"Lord Sypher I am ready to leave to for the village at your command," Albedo spoke from outside.

"Ahh, please come in. I am just gathering my things," Sypher replied while putting the equipment on a floating cart. He had considered transporting it in his inventory, but it seemed flashier to bring using obvious magic. He originally planned to make them look the floating platforms you sometimes see in industrial areas but opted for a simpler design made of magically reinforced wood. (5) It was just an oval shaped open box with some fantasy looking carvings on the sides to make it look fancy. He had made one for Albedo too.

Albedo stepped with the floating box full of magical armor behind her. She looked at Sypher with a puzzled face. "Lord Sypher, what are strange looking pieces of equipment you have there?" She gestured at the odd shaped steel bits Sypher had somewhat haphazardly thrown into the carriage.

"Ah, these. Let's just say they are some non-magical tools to allow the humans a better life.

"Oh my lord, your generosity knows no bounds!" Albedo exclaimed in the usual zealous fashion.

"Ri-ight," Sypher said with a hint of sarcasm. After he finished packing, he messaged Ainz, _"Albedo and I are leaving to the village now. Can you open a gate?"_

 _"Sure," Ainz replied._

 _"Thanks. Also, I'll message you later to send over the other equipment I require. That fine with you."_

 _"Should be good."_

With that, the message cut off and a black portal appeared Sypher's room. He and Albedo stepped through the portal, ready to change history forever.

* * *

 _(5): image search "sci-fi floating platform" for his original idea._

 _Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I took a bit of a break from tech development to go into military/political strategy. I felt that trying to balance the two out would keep the story more interesting._

 _As always, leave a review if you have any comments or questions and I'll try to answer them._


	7. Industrialization and Expansion Part 1

**Chapter 7: Industrialization and Expansion Part 1**

* * *

 **Response to Reviews:**

CallmeCrazylol: I know most of the terms and concepts since I'm a mechanical engineering student. I probably won't focus on pure physics stuff going forward too much because it can get boring. Most of the tech from now on will just apply some science concepts like you will see in this chapter.

Tomosada: From what I can tell from the light novels, the kingdom nobles seem more oppressive/corrupt/elitist than historical records so I'm assuming that the village farmers are overtaxed. Also since most people in Carne Village are farmers, my thoughts would be that subsistence farming would be the most likely way of life. Education wise, I believe I put in a footnote that Ainz and Sypher are from the US in this version so they would teach English. Also, we can assume that even in a Dystopian future, engineers still need secondary if not post-secondary education so Sypher is plenty educated.

* * *

 **Location: Carne Village Square**

Edmond and Tomas had recently returned to Carne Village from their mission. A week had passed since Sypher requested them to gather a list of materials for a yet unexplained purpose.

 _Whatever it is, I hope it's worth the effort,_ Tomas thought as he looked over the wagons of cargo they procured. It had been a long week.

Firstly, a blacksmith and workshop needed to be constructed as per request. Surprisingly, they had found that manpower was not as big of an issue. When Edmond and Tomas said it was at the request of Lord Sypher, many people were willing to work extra on the construction to thank him. They had some backup building materials in case of emergencies, but it was barely enough to cover the construction. It ended up putting the final touches the day the two had returned from E-Rantel with additional materials.

Even as a farming village, Carne Village did have a few wagons lying around to transport grain and herbs to sell in the city. However, with all the materials Sypher had asked for, they had to construct 4 more wagons and get a dozen horses needed to pull them. Luckily they were able to take some of the horse from the bandits and have them pull it. They also brought along 4 other people for additional manpower. Most of the work came with procuring the materials.

First was the issue of money. Sypher had given them a lot of gold coins, but the validity would be questionable since it isn't in the kingdom's currency. Luckily, Edmond had an old friend who was a skilled smith with some higher up connections. After verifying that all the pieces were gold, he managed to convince his friend to exchange it for the kingdom's currency for the service fee of 20 gold coins. While this was an astronomical amount to spend on anything, Edmond and Tomas knew they couldn't say too much about the source this much was needed to keep those involved quiet.

Even with the proper currency, the materials weren't that easy to come by. Since stonework required relatively little limestone and sand, as it was only used in the mortar, it was difficult to come by the quantity requested of them. He had to go to multiple vendors and jump through some hoops to find people but was of little problem with the copious amount of money they had received. In the end, Tomas had filled half of a wagon with limestone and the other half with sand. The stone bricks and gravel had been easier to buy since there was a quarry just outside the city. Because they had enough money, Tomas ended up with several crystals and interesting rocks which the vendors claimed had magical properties for various purposes.

Edmond had an easier time getting his specific materials. Iron ore and good quality steel were readily available in E-Rantel due to the high need for equipment for adventurers and soldiers. Even wrought iron was relatively easy to find because it was often the result of failed steel making attempts by apprentices. The only problem was with the steel they had to get another 2 horses to pull the wagon because it weighed so much. The difficulty came with the miscellaneous items. Edmond wasn't sure what to buy since better weapons than steel tended to be made of materials like Mythril or orichalcum. Finding the raw material for that was difficult due to the rarity. However, after a few days, he managed to scrounge up a range of metals, even some sample magic weapons. He was especially surprised to find a whole ingot of adamantite from a shop. It had cost almost a fifth of their budget but for this material, it was worth it. Given that he was to buy steel and iron, Edmond only felt it appropriate to buy some coal as well even if it was not specifically requested of them.

As Tomas and Edmond were waiting in the town square, they noticed a familiar black portal appear. From it, Sypher appeared along with an unknown woman with unparalleled beauty and two floating carts.

"Lord Sypher welcome back," two men bowed and said in unison.

"You insolent-", Albedo started to shout as she raised her arm at their lack of kneeling.

Sypher cut her off before any damage could be done. " Albedo it's fine. I told them to act like this to not waste time."

"But Lord Sypher-"

"It's fine," Sypher said seriously while turning to face Albedo.

"As you wish," Albedo said in an apologetic tone while bowing. The two humans just looked on in confusion.

"Ahem anyways, I take it you were successful in your tasks?"

"Yes my lord, we managed to collect all the materials you asked as well as anything of interest," Tomas responded.

"Good. Good. Before I take a look at them, there are some other matters to attend to. Can you call the chief and a few experienced farmers over?"

"Right away," Tomas said as he went to fetch them.

"Edmond. I have another task for you," Sypher said as he grabbed a set of equipment from one of the floating carts. "This is a set of equipment from some of Ainz Ooal Gown's forces. I would like you to evaluate their quality and tell me how they compare to the average armor of a soldier as well as their approximate selling price."

Edmond gulped when he saw the armor. _This has to be magical gear, no doubt about it. I'm scared to damage it even with testing just based on how expensive it looks._ "A-As y-you wish my lord," Edmond struggled to say as he received the equipment.

A few minutes later, Tomas came back with the chief and a few others in tow. "I've gathered everyone as you asked Lord Sypher."

"Ah welcome back my lord," the chief said with a bow. The other villagers looked as if they were about to kneel after realizing it was their savior standing before them but decided to follow the chief's actions.

"Thanks. I have a few tools that should help with farming that I would like to introduce." Sypher floated up and picked up a large steel contraption from the floating carriage.

The villager stared in confusion and awe at the thing that Sypher had lifted. _If that's steel, it looks like it would take 3 strong men to just move and yet he carries it easily,_ the chief thought as he saw Sypher place the contraption on the ground.

The machine had multiple wide steel spike at the front connected to a well built covered rectangular steel frame. On the back of the frame, there were multiple handles and what looked like a small wheel sticking out the top of it. There were 4 metal wheels attached to the frame with the back two appearing to protrude out more than the front ones. The strangest part of it was the middle. Right behind the spikes, multiple long curved blades were attached in a circular pattern. Behind the blades, was a platform that covered the underside of the device. The whole thing looked to be the size of a small wagon. All the villagers and Albedo were confused as to how it would help with farming.

"If you have some wheat ready to harvest, I can demonstrate how it works," Sypher said making sure the contraption was completely functional.

Being accustomed to surprises from their new rulers, the chief spoke up, "right this way then.

After arriving at the field, Sypher positioned the device in front of the golden field. "Now, I need three volunteers."

When three of the farmers hesitantly stepped forward, Sypher continued. "Please grab the back of the machine and simply push."

Just push? The three men who stepped forward were confused. "Is that all my lord?"

"Yes. Just as if you were pushing a small cart. The machine should do the rest of the work."

Despite their uncertainty, the men decided to do as they were told. At first, it looked like nothing had happened. However, after the car had moved several feet, all the villagers gasped.

All the wheat in the cart's path had been harvested. The soil was clean with almost no plant debris.

The chief ran up to the device and looked inside. All the wheat was neatly collected inside of it. _Amazing._

The villagers looked at the cart, then the soil, then the cart again unable to react for a number of reasons. _Not on were we able to push this thing with relative ease, it collected everything so cleanly,_ thought one of the men pushing the harvester.

Sypher grinned in the back. "I take it you are impressed. This is called a harvester. As you can see, it is useful in harvesting wheat or other grains. Due to its simple operation, you could attach it to an ox or horse to pull it and harvest crops far quicker."

The villagers could only gulp and nod in reply.

"I'll give you this one to use. In return, only the adults will be doing farm work and household chores. Everyone 16 and under will have other things to do. Is would that be acceptable?"

After thinking for a moment the chief replied, "it might be a bit difficult to reassign tasks, but should be doable."

"Good. If it is proving to be to cause issues, I will lend some help."

"May I ask why you want the children to be available," the chief asked curiously.

"Ah, about that, I have a favor to ask," Sypher paused to wait for a nod from the chief. "Do you or anyone else know how to read and write?"

"Yes a few of us. It's necessary for trade documents."

"Good. I want you to find a few others and teach the children how to read and write. In addition, I will come by later to learn your language."

Sypher realized earlier while looking at the maps that this world had a different alphabet than English one he was familiar too. Their spoken language was the same, however, which made it easy to communicate. If their written language was similar to English mechanics wise then it would probably be better to learn their language rather than forcing English onto them.

While Sypher had a pair of _Magic glasses_ which allowed his to instantly translate their language, he felt it would be better if he at least learned its structure in order to teach the people of this world. He noticed the chief in thought and spoke up.

"Before you ask, I do know how to read and write, I'm just not familiar with your script. I should only need a couple of hours."

"O-o-of course my lord. Forgive me f-for assuming," The chief frantically tried to speak while clearing his head.

"No worries. Anyways please start on that soon. Albedo?"

"Yes, Lord Sypher?" Albedo looked up at Sypher.

"I would also like you to learn their language. It will be useful for our plans moving forward." Sypher turned back to the chief. "Oh yeah Eric, I suppose I haven't introduced you yet: this is Albedo. You may consider her equal to me in rank as we both serve directly under Ainz and act as his advisors.

"I-It's an honor to meet you Lady Albedo," The chief said with a deep bow.

Albedo simply nodded in return.

 _Huh, she seems to have gotten better at controlling herself around humans,_ Sypher thought to himself.

"Anyways we should be going then. You and Albedo can discuss the details of the education schedules later, but we should go see how Edmond is doing. If you will lead the way to where the new workshop is."

The chief led him and Albedo to the outskirts of the village. A space at the edge of the forest near a creek had been cleared out since last time. Now a stone building ⅔ the size of the storehouse. It was an open entrance with a couple anvils, a charcoal forge, and several tables. One of the tables had a bunch of tools haphazardly strewn about. Edmond sat at one of the table staring at the golden armor from earlier with a hammer in hand.

"I see you were able to test the armor," Sypher said while putting a hand on Edmond's shoulder.

"Ahhh!" Edmond jumped to reality. "Lord Sypher it's you."

"What is your evaluation of the armor?"

Edmond hesitated with a worried look on his face for a moment before responding, "about that. It's hard to say for certain."

"Explain," Sypher asked curiously.

"Well appearance wise it looks like gold, but it is not nearly as ductile. It doesn't scratch either. Hardness-wise, it is about the same as steel, but it is far tougher. Both hammers and swords barely dented it. I don't know much about enchanted weaponry so I suppose the results make sense. When compared to the average soldier or adventurer it far outranks them. Most people can't even afford full plate and most beginners can only afford leather or some chainmail. Magic equipment is usually only used by top-ranked adventurers or are national treasures due to their rarity."

 _So even the standard equipment is pretty weak here. We could probably wipe out a small country just with the POPs._ Sypher thought to himself, trying to figure out how their equipment scaled in this world. "What about selling price."

"Due to the exceptional craftsmanship and enchantments, it's hard to say but it would be in the hundreds of gold coins price range for the full set. The problem would be finding people who could actually buy that. Not many people could spend money on this."

 _Hmmm. I guess selling the gear is not a valid idea. We could probably just use some sets so the villagers can defend themselves._ "Good. Thanks for your work."

"Of course my lord. It is only fair that I serve you for giving me back my arm," Edmond said with a bow.

Sypher nodded before continuing, "anyways, I have a new machine to construct. It should allow tool steel to be made quicker and cheaper than your normal methods. Can you please bring the wagons with iron ore, steel, limestone, and brick here?"

Edmond had a puzzled look on his face but he and the chief went to get the carts full of materials.

[Message]

 _"Ainz you there?"_

 _"Yeah. Do you need something?" Ainz replied._

 _"Yeah, can you send the other 'materials' I required to my location."_

 _"Sure."_

 _"Thanks."_

 _"Mhm. Also, Mare and I have found some interesting things about magic in this world," Ainz replied like an excited child._

 _"Anything urgent?"_

 _"Nothing urgent but just as a heads-up that I will probably organize another meeting in a couple days to discuss our findings. You should probably prepare an update with the village as well if anything has changed."_

 _"Sure."_ Sypher cut off the message. _I'm surprised that he is taking the initiative here. Maybe he is getting used to the whole ruler thing._

A [Gate] appeared a few feet away from him and a number of creatures walked out.

A few moments later the chief, Tomas, and Edmond came back with the materials and froze. All the villagers were too terrified to even hide.

Noticing their reactions, Sypher spoke up. "Ah, don't worry these monsters are with me. They will be assisting in the operation of the project."

While the chief took a breath and relaxed, albeit still confused as to their use, the other two humans present were still in shock.

"I can assure you they are under my complete control. Ainz summoned them himself and ordered that they follow my exact orders." Sypher recalled how he and Ainz had spent some time experimenting with controlling and ordering summons after seeing the death knight's performance.

They came to the conclusion that the summoner had a subconscious connection to their summons at all times and could issue a wider range of commands than Yggdrasil. The higher level the summon, the more intelligent it appeared. Even basic skeletons could do repetitive tasks like swinging a tool or moving objects from point A to point B with minimal training. This is when Sypher had developed his design for a steel plant.

Tomas and Edmond became slightly less apprehensive but still were in shock at one of the creatures. It was a massive creature that stood over 7 feet tall and was writhed in flames. Rather, it looked as if it was a being made entirely of flames. It was floating slightly off the ground and its lower half taper to a tip rather than having legs. Just being in its presence made the temperature go up noticeably and caused all the humans to sweat.

"I suppose you might be confused as to what the monsters are," Sypher said gesturing at the monsters. "Are you familiar with any of them?"

The chief was the only one brave enough to speak up, having already seen Ainz's face. "My lord, I believe the undead are just skeletons. If so, we are familiar with them." He paused and gulped while looking at the other creature. "Unfortunately, I don't believe I know what the other creature is." Edmond and Tomas nodded in agreement.

Ah, I suppose it makes sense. _I guess the fire elemental would be considered a national emergency in this world at specialized level 50 build,_ Sypher thought to himself. The fire elemental was a significantly weaker form of the primal fire elemental and could only cast 7th tier fire, it was useful for mid-ranked players because 7th tier spells could be quite devastating if one didn't have the appropriate protection, which is why Ainz had an item that could summon 1 once a day.

"This is a fire elemental. It's a magical creature that can cast powerful fire magic and create high-temperature flames. You are correct for the other creatures though. They are low-level skeleton undead," Sypher said.

The humans all nodded in understanding, although they still wore faces of confusion and shock at the scene in front of them.

"I will be using the steel you purchased to make the equipment. I will only make one so Tomas, I want you to figure out how to replicate it by yourselves after today. If you need the summoned monsters, I can provide some of those," Tomas nodded both worried because of the magnitude of the task before him and excited because he would get to show off his skill to their leaders.

Sypher reached into his pocket dimension and grabbed a long spear. It had a lightly decorated metal shaft with a formed handle and a jeweled guard connecting the enchanted tip to the body.

Sypher walked over to a clearing next to the workshop and scanned the area. After a few minutes, he poked the spear into the ground and started to outline 4 large rectangles of different size in the ground. He put a small number in the top corner of each rectangle. In the middle rectangle, he drew a large circle in the center with two lines extending from the center to two opposite edges. After adding arrows on to the existing lines he added 2 more arrows towards the large circle and labeled the center circle 'BF'.

If everyone watching wasn't already confused, what happened next for sure left everyone watching clueless. Sypher made a number of other circles and other shapes in the other rectangle sections and labeled several of them with runes unknown to the humans.

"Lord Sypher what is all this," asked Albedo just as curious as the humans. She recognized the characters as the text of the supreme beings.

"This is just a quick layout schematic to make sure I do everything correctly," Sypher said while grabbing several steel ingots and placing them on one of the workshop tables. Using his magic he crafted several odd-looking pieces with the steel.

First, he took several ingots and combined them together into a block probably the weight of a small child. Concentrating hard, his magic caused the steel to reduces in cross-section till it had a 1.5 inch by 1.5-inch square cross-section. He placed the now 8-foot long section of steel on the ground and continued. The cross-section of the material changed from a solid square to a box with an outer length of 1.5 inches and a wall thickness of 0.25 inches. The length also increased to 18 feet. He repeated this process 4 more times till he was satisfied with the amount.

Sypher then created more of these hollow bars but with an outside width of 3 inches and 'X' cross-section with a thickness of half an inch. He created around 150 feet of this stock.

 _About a sixth of the steel is already gone and I've only done the bars. This is really blowing through the steel we got. It looks like we will be a bit short at this rate,_ Sypher thought while clicking his tongue. _I guess I'll just alter the design a bit._

He took over half of the remaining steel and formed them into two blocks, each heavier than multiple full grown men. Sypher took the metals and formed them into what Edmond recognized as a crucible shape.

 _It looks like a large crucible. But making it out of steel means it will just melt under forging temperature,_ Edmond thought to himself while confused about the functionality.

Once Sypher was comfortable with the shape and thickness of the crucibles he formed a spout on the bottom. He took a steel ingot and made a pipe with a rectangular hole that went through two sides. Using two more ingots, he created a long rod with a rectangular section in the middle that perfectly fit in the rectangular slot on the pipe. In the middle of the rectangular section, there was a hole that had a diameter of about two-thirds the size of the valve diameter. The inside of the pipe was adjusted so the cross-section of the pipe turned into a rectangle sloping walls towards the hole on the rod. Because the length of the rod had to extend out of the diameter of the crucible, which was already 4 feet in diameter, he made a few smooth stands to support the rod for easier control. He repeated this process with the other crucible

However, for the second crucible, he created a lid on the top with a hole and funnel. He added a small hole to the lid for visibility.

Using the remaining steel he created several large bearings and multiple spheres of 4-inch diameter that were placed in semi-spherical holders. The spheres were snapped into place and held by a ring of small bumps so it could spin freely with little friction. He also created a large sheet of steel about half an inch in thickness and formed several types of indentations. 1 row with 4 ingots shaped indentations, 1 five foot long semi-cylinder indentation with small groves across its length. And another five-foot long indentation with an 'I' cross-section shape. He took several bricks and formed them into a thin layer over the indentations.

When forming the bricks, Sypher noticed that the forming process of the bricks took noticeably more effort than the steel forming.

One by One, Sypher took all the pieces that were laid out on the ground and assembled it to his specification. He cut and bonded several of the pieces to others to construct. Using his level 100 strength, he could lift the large crucible with some effort. Through the use of his crafting magic skills and flight magic as well as occasional assistance from Albedo. While she was happy to be of use to Sypher, she still was confused at what exactly he was making. Once he had finished, the structure stood over 12 feet tall, with the hundreds of feet of steel beams cut to various sizes and bonded to the crucible and other components to allow the two crucibles to stack up. There was also a staircase that spiral around the structure to allow someone to access all the valves and inputs to both crucibles. Finally, the casting surfaces from earlier were mounted onto a frame with wheels that allowed someone to easily move it around.

After looking through all the pieces he made again, Sypher cast enchantments over some of the pieces and slumped back into a nearby chair with an audible sigh. He found the three villagers and Albedo still standing there just as curious if not more so than when he started. "Albedo how long has it been since I started?"

"Around 2 hours have passed since you have started, Lord Sypher."

 _Man, 2 hours of continuous magic casting is really draining. If hopefully, I can rely on others to do fabrication once I introduce power tools. Maybe I can ask Ainz for some items to replenish mp quicker._

Sypher snapped out of his thoughts and turned to Edmond and the others. "This is a small-scale steel production setup. It should keep up with demand until we acquire more resources and manpower."

Edmond, Tomas, and Eric were frozen. _If that is small scale what's large,_ thought Edmond.

"Edmond, can you grab a few sledgehammers, shovels, buckets and some coal. I forgot to ask you to grab some from E-Rantel but hopefully, you have some laying around. And Eric, can you gather some other people that are physically capable enough to help with this kind of heavy labor." Sypher asked.

Edmond nodded and ran off to grab some. Tomas watched as Sypher called the fire elemental to the machine and gave instructions to it. Sypher then emptied the iron ore into one of the large steel dishes that were placed on one side of the machine. By the time he had finished this task, Edmond had returned with the requested supplies. The chief had also returned with 4 other men.

Sypher looked over the tools and coal as if to check their quality before continuing to speak.

"Now that all the materials needed are gathered, I'll explain how this process works. For those of you that just came in, the machine behind me is a device to mass-produce high-quality steel. I'm sure you have a lot of question, but please hold them until the end of my explanation."

Sypher paused for a minute and summoned the skeletons over to equip them with the hammers and shovels. The new villagers were scared at first considering the monsters before them, but calmed down pretty quickly after seeing the chief relaxed around the scene.

Sypher cleared his throat and spoke up. "First step: iron ore goes into this tray. A skeleton with a hammer will crush the ore to a coarse powder to make it easier to melt. However, the skeleton can only do manual labor, a person will need to inspect the ore and tell the skeleton to start and stop hammering as needed." Sypher gave an order to one of the skeletons to start hammering the ore before continuing. "The trays are magically reinforced so they should not warp due to the impact. After the ore is sufficiently crushed, a skeleton with a shovel and bucket will carry the ore up to the furnace," Sypher said pointing at the top crucible.

"The next step is making coal coke," Sypher said while emptying the coal into another tray before placing it at the bottom of the tower. This tray had wheels and a handle that extended out about 2 feet. "Coal coke is a more efficient form of coke. To make it, the coal needs to be heated in an oxygen-free environment. Normally it would require a kiln or something similar to make, but the fire elemental allows us to bypass this. The flame below it appears to create a barrier which pushes out the surrounding air preventing the coal from combusting. The process should take 10-15 minutes and you should see a color change with the coal when it is ready. A person will be needed to oversee the production of coal coke." Sypher climbed to the top of the tower where a skeleton was waiting with a bucket of crushed ore.

"The next part is melting the iron. The iron ore, coal coke, and some limestone go into the furnace. Because of how this process works, you will need a minimum of 3 buckets of ore to go into get a smooth outflow of iron. As for the exact quantities of the coke and limestone, you will need to experiment a bit."

After 2 more buckets of ore were brought over and dumped into the crucible along with coke and limestone, Sypher continued. "Now to melt it, the fire elemental will keep it continuously heated with a tier 3 or 4 magic spell. Because it is more intelligent you should be able to control it easier. Someone will need to monitor the metal inside and tell the elemental whether to turn off or on and control the amount of heat." He paused for a minute to collect his thoughts. "I'll say this now so you don't forget, don't request above a tier 5 spell. Even if you are standing decently far away, the spread might still hit you. Even with tier 2 spells, if you are not careful you may die so follow all the safety protocols that I discuss later." All the villagers gulped and nodded.

"Anyways, once the iron is melted, there should be some slag on top so use this tool to scoop it out," Sypher said while holding a tool that looked like a long shovel with flanged edges. "Unfortunately, the skeletons aren't intelligent enough for this so a person will need to do it."

"Once the slag is cleaned the valve bar can be pulled the drop the molten iron into the converter below. The bar is enchanted so it should be safely grabbable by hand near the edges. Make sure the valve is closed before the top layer falls through because you want to minimize the slag in the converter."

"Once the steel is in the converter, additional limestone must be thrown in. Once it's thrown in, have a skeleton start pumping the bellows attached on the sides," Sypher gestured to the bellows that were at the base of the converter as the skeletons started working. "The exact number of times you will need to pump the bellows will vary on the amount of molten pig iron poured in so you will need to experiment. While the bellows are blowing, another skeleton will move this rod to stir the molten metal to cause slag to rise to the surface. Once the appropriate amount of air is pumped in and it is stirred enough, most of the iron should have turned to steel."

"The final step is to pull this tray over and open the valve like with the furnace," Sypher said as he pulled on the valve and let the red-hot metal flow into the brick layered casts he prepared earlier. "What's important is that you know approximately where the level of steel is in the converter. The rod to stir it is located near the bottom so when it becomes easier to move, you should stop the pouring and move the casts out. A person will need to feel it and do that motion." Sypher let the liquid drain while operating the drawbar.

After he felt the level sink low enough inside, Sypher shut the valve. "Most of the remaining material should be slag which can be used for other things so grab one of the reinforced trays and pour it into that. You can give a skeleton a curved rod to clear out the inside of the converter after every batch. Both the converter and the furnace are magically enchanted to hold heat so when controlling the flame level make sure to keep that in mind."

After the steel had solidified, Sypher brushed off the top layer of oxidation and quenched the ingot. After it was safe enough to touch he walked to the villagers. "And here is a finished ingot of steel. The batch I made was very small so only a few ingots could be made but the machine should be able to handle a bit over a thousand pounds of steel in a single batch." Sypher paused to think for a minute. "I guess it would be equal to enough material for around 10 suits of full plate armor. Anyways, I believe that concludes my explanation, any questions?"

Of course, Sypher got barraged with waves of questions that took another 2 hours to properly answer. As the people except Edmond left to do their various tasks. Edmond went to speak with Sypher.

"Lord Sypher, I know you asked me to replicate the machine, but something this complex would be impossible without the use of your magic. Even the craftsman's of the dwarfs would have trouble making this."

Sypher paused to plan out his words. "Edmond, I can assure you this machine is possible to make without magic. It will take noticeably longer to construct and require a larger range of materials than what I used. The design will have to be slightly changed as well. However, it is very possible. In addition, this process can be improved."

"Improved my lord?" Edmond couldn't fathom what he meant. _The machine is far faster than what most smiths can do and requires far less skill. Now he says that this can be improved,_ Edmond thought to himself.

"Yes. Firstly, like I said before this is a small scale. If built differently, it can produce 40 times as much steel in a single batch. There are also ways to replace the monsters used such that only one or two people are needed to run the machine and they don't need to do too much manual labor. Of course, we are far off from running it to that extent. However, there are ways to make this process better in the next couple of months." Sypher said. _Now that I think about it again, a lot of the component placement and ore handling can be improved._ He thought internally, looking at the machine again. _I guess this could be a good test to see how quickly the people of this world can learn._

"I have faith that you and those you train can improve this design in the coming days."

"Those I train?" Edmond asked curiously.

"Ah right, I guess I didn't mention it to you. I have some farming equipment to the others earlier which should lighten their load. In exchange, all those of age 16 and under would learn how to read and write. In a few weeks time, I will give them a test and have you train a few in smithing and metallurgy. I'll also be giving lessons on how to design machines like this one and other concepts."

Edmond could only nod in response to the words he heard. Many people didn't prioritize education because it was difficult to come by and once children grew up enough, they could help around the house with the daily chores. He, however, did see the value of education and wanted to learn as much as he could. Having grown up in a city, he was lucky enough to learn a bit more than the average person and could read and write. Being able to learn how to create amazing things like the machine in front of him was a dream come true. And on top of everything else, it was offered essentially for free. "I thank you for your magnanimity," Edmond said with a deep bow.

"Right. Anyways, I'll leave you to this. For now, work on getting used to using this. I want high-quality steel produced in a week. As far as resources go, work with the chief to see if there is a village nearby that exports iron ore and other mining products. If you do find a village, see if they will exclusively trade their ore and products with us. I've approved the use of around 30,000 gold for this expenditure and can give it to you as needed. Albedo will stay here in the village so have her contact me if you require more money."

Edmond was flabbergasted. _30000 gold. That is too ridiculous. Most nobles aren't even that rich. And this he is giving us to spend on trade deals with a single village?_

As Edmond was lost in thought, Sypher clapped his hands to bring him back to reality. "Anyways, I understand this is a lot so I'm almost done. One last detail for dealing with the other village. I want you to see if you can get them to join us. While Ainz, myself, and our guardians haven't discussed this at length, you can call yourselves temporary ambassadors for the Sorcerer's Kingdom on these missions. If the talks prove promising, Ainz and/or myself will go there to handle negotiations. With your status as Ambassador, they should believe it when you tell them that we can assure them absolute protection against the kingdom or any other threats that may befall them if they join us. In addition, they will be treated just as well as we have treated the people of Carne Village so I leave the specifics arguments to you and the chief."

"I understand Lord Sypher," Edmond said with a bow. "But why send me. I'm a blacksmith so I don't have a lot experience with diplomacy or trade deals."

"Well, you are one of the people I've interacted with the most so I trust you to give an accurate portrayal of Ainz Ooal Gown's rule."

Edmond bowed and responded, "if that is the case, then I shall not fail you, my lord." The pride in his voice was clearly noticed by Sypher. As Edmond went off to fulfill his tasks, Albedo walked up to Sypher.

"Lord Sypher, may I ask a question," Albedo asked.

Sypher nodded in response before she continued.

"Why would you have me live among the humans. While I understand you wish to grow them, would my skills not be better used back at Nazarick or by your side. Please Lord, tell me if I have failed you in any way!" Albedo said with her hands clasped together frantically.

Sypher paused for a minute to plan out his words before responding. "I asked you to stay at the village because of your skills. Like I said before, the humans are weak but under proper guidance can achieve great things. I believe your administrative skills can get the maximum efficiency out of the humans while also maintaining their happiness with Ainz Ooal Gown."

"I understand, but should they not be happy for the honor of serving supreme beings such as yourself and Lord Ainz?"

"You and the other denizens of Nazarick were created by my friends and me so it is only natural you feel that way. However, to the people of this world, we are just powerful entities that have appeared. They have no way of knowing whether we will protect them or kill them. It is good that they are worried at first. It means that they are smart enough to think for themselves," Sypher said with a serious tone.

Albedo did not completely understand what he meant by that but felt it would be best to drop the topic for now given Sypher's tone.

"Another reason why is because I want you to make friends," Sypher added on.

"Make friends?" Albedo asked curiously. "But-"

Sypher cut her off, "I can imagine what you are thinking but Ainz and I have thought this through. If you only talk with those in Nazarick, your view of this world and its people will be very limited. If you acquaint yourself with people of this world, not as a superior but an equal, we are sure you will change for the better."

"I understand my lord but with all due respect, the humans I've seen so far have been quite simple and close-minded," Albedo protested.

"Well, you aren't wrong. I will say that you will probably not make friends with most of the humans you see and that's okay. You do have to make sure you carry out your duties as my second in command here. However, I'm sure there are a few people you will learn to get along with quite nicely," Sypher said with a warming smile.

"Then it will be done," Albedo said with a bow.

As they were about to return to town, Sypher had an idea. "Albedo, I have an item to give you," Sypher said while reaching into his inventory.

He pulled out two matching rings. They were cut from a lustrous black gemstone with dark blue and silver inlays that formed two intertwined dragons. Albedo looked on curiously.

"These are twin dragon rings. They are an item that allows for the two users to teleport to the other's location with limited mana cost and is usable by any class. Also, if one user is in combat, it will alert the other user," Sypher held out one ring to Albedo. I will give you one ring and I will take the other. This way, I can teleport to the village as long as you are here without relying on Ainz and make sure you are safe." There were a number of limitations with the rings that prevented them from working on members in the same guild, but it appears that those rules did not apply in the new world.

With a look of pure happiness and bliss, Albedo took the ring. "I will gladly accept this gift, my love!"

Sypher merely nodded. "Anyways, it well past noon. We should break for lunch. We can go back to Nazarick to eat and then continue."

Albedo nodded still smiling and blushed as a Gate opened and they went back to Nazarick.

 **Location: E-Rantel**

Nfirea Bareare was walking back to his grandmother's shop. If one saw him, they could easily notice the excitement in his step. This was because it was that time of the year again. Nfirea was to go to the forest outside of Carne Village to collect herbs and materials for medicines and potions. More importantly, he could go see the girl who captured his heart, Enri Emmot.

They had both recently reached marrying age so Nfirea was planning to ask for her hand in marriage. While he was nervous about it, Nfirea was sure he could provide well for Enri.

He was on his way back from the adventurer's guild having hired a silver class team, the swords of darkness, for his protection. He would normally go with an iron class team, but he had heard rumors of the forest monsters becoming more active in recent days. It was better just to pay extra and avoid the risk.

It would be a week before he could see Enri. Nfirea could hardly contain himself.

 **Location: border of the Slane Theocracy and the Re-Estize Kingdom**

Zesshi Zetsumei was quite disappointed. When the Cardinals had told her someone that could crush a Dominion Authority had come along she was excited. She might finally be able to fight someone who posed a challenge. As it was, only the captain of the black scripture could rival her strength, and he refused to fight her seriously. Raymond Zarg Lauransan, the Cardinal of Earth, was the only reason she didn't charge on ahead herself.

"Yo Raymond. I'm bored. Let me at em. I'm sure I can take on this 'Ainz Ooal Gown' myself."

"How many times do I have to tell you no. While it is true you can defeat a Dominion Authority like they did, we don't know the full extent of their power. And there are three of them. In addition, they block all attempts by Thousand Leagues Astrologer so we cannot sense their location. They were last spotted near Carne Village so that is where you will go. Hopefully, they sense your presence and come out to protect the village from what they did last time. First, we will try to convince them to join us. Such powerful allies can be useful in protecting humanity," Raymond said with a hopeful look on his face. He continued, "if all talking fails then you can fight. If it seems like you and the black scripture cannot win, Lady Kaire will use _Downfall of Castle and Country_ on their angel to pull it over to our side."

Zesshi frowned but nodded. "Fine, fine. But still, how long do I have to wait."

Raymond continued to speak, "Due to some inclement weather, the black scripture's return is delayed for another day. We are also going to scout the area surrounding the forest to try to find Ainz Ooal Gown's base for a short while. It should be about a week before we reach Carne Village."

Zesshi's disappointment was quite visible but she simply nodded in return and went back to leaning against a tree.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!_

 _As always, leave a review if you have any thoughts, comments, or questions and I'll try to answer them._


	8. Industrialization and Expansion Part 2

**Chapter 8: Industrialization and Expansion Part 2**

* * *

 _Hello all, sorry for the delay in the releases. Work has been getting pretty busy lately. Also, a huge thanks to Kanasawa for helping with writing the chapter._

 ** _Review answers_**

kyle77776: I'm trying to keep the character traits as close to canon as possible so Climb will be the same.

bleach3834: I would leave links to images of the machines if I could but most of the designs so far are different than how they developed in history due to the fact that Sypher has magic and limited resources now. For designs that do stay the same, I'll try leave names in the footnotes.

 _Enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

 **Location: Carne Village**

It was another day in Carne Village. Enri Emmot, like many of the village, was going about her day to day tasks. After agreeing to serve Ainz Ooal Gown, the people of the village expected things to be very different. But to many people's surprise, nothing major happened. Until yesterday. While Lord Sypher had not made a big deal of his arrival, a number of people noticed a new person in town and the word that it was one of their rulers quickly spread. Since Sypher appeared to be talking to the chief and a couple others who apparently were given tasks directly by him, no one bothered him and try to go about their daily lives. Occasionally, they tried to peek at what he was doing, but most were too confused or in awe to form a proper conclusion. Enri Emmot was no different. Even today, she had woken up and was preparing breakfast for Nemu and herself. Despite the fact their parents were dead, they chose to live by themselves in the same house rather than live with another family. This was certainly challenging at times, but they got by.

As Enri allowed for the stew to cook, she stepped outside to feel the sun. She felt her heartache. Nemu was ten years old now, and she had been a lively and spirited girl once. After losing their parents, the formerly naive and carefree Nemu was almost stoic now, without any of the playfulness of children her age. It pained Enri to see her sister change so drastically.

The smiling faces of her parents appeared in Enri's mind. She thought back to the incident. Most of their dead had been resurrected. Most people had their family back together. _So why are we still alone,_ Enri thought with tears welling in her eyes. Sypher had told her their bodies were too far destroyed to be healed. While Enri knew of magic, she wasn't that familiar with it. _Why didn't you save them! What did we do to deserve this,_ Enri thought to herself as she hugged herself. Hot tears were streaming down her face. She knew that Ainz Ooal Gown wasn't to blame. She was thankful that they had intervened to save the village at all.

Enri wiped her tears and took some deep breaths. As Enri was about to go inside, she noticed a familiar black portal appear in the village square. A figure that she now recognized as the human form of Lord Sypher walked out followed by the woman from yesterday.

After looking around for a moment, Sypher turned to Enri's direction. To Enri's surprise, Sypher and the woman started to walk towards her.

"Enri, how have you been," Sypher said while approaching the surprised Enri.

 _Why is he coming to talk to me specifically,_ Enri thought. "I-I h-have been well Lord Sypher," she managed to muster out.

"That is good," Sypher said with a smile. Enri couldn't help but notice the winged woman give a killing look.

While mildly petrified, she managed to speak, "what brings you here today my lord?"

"I wish to discuss some things with you. May we talk now?"

"Nemu and I were about to have breakfast so if you do not mind the mess we can talk."

"Ah, I could come back later if you are busy right now," Sypher replied still keeping the same expression on his face.

"No no no, I'm not busy at all now. To make someone like you wait would be disrespectful," Enri said while bowing in hopes that she had not disrespected their savior.

Sypher motioned to her to raise her head. "While normally I would wait, we are on a bit of a time crunch today so thank you for making time. However, I'd rather you and your sister not skip on a meal. If you do not mind, we can talk while you eat. Albedo and I have already eaten so you don't need to worry about us."

"Of course we are fine with it. But my lord-," Enri was about to protest before being cut off.

"If you are fine then there is no problem. We are the ones who wish to talk to you after all so it is only natural that we are accommodating of your schedule."

Enri could only nod as they entered the small house. As with most of the village houses, it only had 2 rooms: The main area for cooking and to serve as a common area, and a bedroom. Nemu was now awake and tending to some of her chores.

Nemu could only stare at the 2 figures that now stood in her house. She noticed Enri was trying to hide her nervousness. "Enri, what's going. Is everything alright."

"Yes, everything is fine. Lord Sypher and Lady Albedo just wanted to talk to me," Enri replied with a smiling facade. Nemu knew that she could trust these two, but she still understood Enri's nervousness.

"Ah, don't worry Nemu. You two are not in trouble or anything. I just have a few things to discuss with Enri. You should join us too," Sypher said motioning to the table.

Despite their uncertainty, Enri and Nemu grabbed the bowls of stew that were their breakfasts and sat down at the simple looking table. As Enri sat down on the hard wooden chair she noticed that the two figures were just staring at them. As if waiting for her to respond.

"U-Uh, I apologize that we cannot provide more appropriate accommodations, my lord," Enri said doing a half bow over the table.

"Again, there is no need to worry," Sypher said. He paused to look around the room, then back at Enri and Nemu. "The reason we are here today is to offer you a new job."

"A new job?," Enri curiously asked.

"Yes. As you may know, along with the elders, you and your sister are the only ones that know that Ainz is undead. Yet you trusted us without much hesitation. Even after we saved the village, the elders were still hesitant and needed some convincing. Considering this area is now under the control of Ainz Ooal Gown we will need to defend it appropriately," Sypher paused for a second. "Ah please wait a moment."

Sypher stood up and closed the windows. To the shock of Enri and Nemu, the being in front of them suddenly morphed into an amorphous humanoid blob before reforming into an undead. Before they could even react, the undead figure in front of them and cast several spells before transforming back into the human form of Sypher.

As Sypher sat back down he spoke, "I suppose I should probably explain that." He paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm not actually an angel. I'm what is known as a Doppelganger. They are a type of creature that can mimic the form and, at higher levels, the abilities of other creatures. My human form doesn't know any anti-eavesdropping or anti-scrying magic so I had to transform into Ainz to cast them. The angel you previously saw was one of my other forms."

Enri and Nemu could only nod in response. They weren't entirely sure what to think. Enri managed to come up with a response after a couple minutes.

"Lord Sypher, forgive my silence but we're just not sure how to respond. However, you were kind enough to come to our aid and save us, as well as continue to help and defend us. While I can't speak for everyone, it doesn't matter to me what kind of monster you are. My sister and I still trust you with our lives," Nemu nodded in agreement.

"Well that is good to hear," Sypher said with a warm smile. "Now onto the job details. As you know we asked to take control of the village and recently I have been trying to develop it further. There are reasons for this, but it would take too long to discuss. What you need to know, and can probably guess based on me and Albedo, are that everyone in Ainz Ooal Gown is not human. And unfortunately, due to our history, many of its members are distrustful of humans."

Enri was curious. "If you and his majesty are so willing to help humans why are the others distrustful." While she was nervous, she also felt comfortable around Lord Sypher. She felt that she could try to speak up in his presence.

"In the past, many of our members were hunted down by human guilds for being non-human," Sypher said almost melancholy.

"But how could beings as powerful as yourselves be harmed by guilds?" Enri asked.

"This was in a different time and place. A world far more dangerous, with many more powerful enemies than this one. It is why we of Ainz Ooal Gown are so strong. But that also meant the human groups were much more powerful."

Enri could only nod. She knew a little of history and figured he was talking of some place across the continent, hundreds of years ago in the time of the demon gods.

"Anyways because many of our members dislike humans, governing might become a slight issue. Ainz or I cannot regularly stay here due to a number of reasons. As such, we need someone else to see to the day to day affairs. For now, Albedo here will be filling that role," Sypher motioned to Albedo next to him.

"She is undoubtedly the most competent among our numbers when it comes to administrative manners. In addition, she is quite intelligent among a number of ideal traits," Sypher said.

"I am unworthy of your praise lord," Albedo said while turning and bowing to Sypher.

"Albedo, I only speak the truth. Ainz and I both agree." Sypher said while turning back to Enri. "The one problem is she is unfamiliar with interacting with humans. Enri, as you are comfortable with dealing with nonhumans, I would like you to serve as an assistant leader of sort. You will help Albedo with her day to day tasks and also give me weekly reports of the people's satisfaction."

Enri was speechless. She took a deep breath and managed to speak, "I-I-I don't know what to say my lord. Why me? I'm barely an adult and I'm sure there are more qualified people to lead."

"Well from what I can see, you are choosing to live and raise your little sister on your own. I heard the some of the other villagers offer to take you in but you refused. Why is that?"

Enri was visibly confused and it was all she could do to keep tears from streaming down her face. "I don't think I could bring myself to be a burden on the others, my sister and I lost a lot, sure, but that's not an excuse to take a handout from someone who went through the same thing, just because fate happened to be kinder to them…" Enri started to trail off, and she completely lost her train of thought when she saw Sypher's grin.

"That's a good answer, a great answer in fact," Sypher said with the very same grin. " He quickly wiped it off his face and took a more serious tone, " I am sorry about your parents though. The person who deserves their loved ones back the most is the person whose loved ones I wasn't able to bring back, I am truly sorry for my incompetence." Sypher bowed his head in apology.

"Ah please raise your head, Lord Sypher. Someone such as yourself need not worry about it," Enri said frantically motioning for him to stop bowing.

Sypher rose his head. "It is only right to apologize when one has failed or done wrong, no matter one's position." Sypher continued, "Anyways there are a number of reasons I want you for the job. Firstly, you seem to accept inhuman creatures. Secondly, you were able to put aside your grief and continue moving forward with your life, whether it be for your sister or yourself. Finally, your youth is actually an advantage. Adults can get quite stuck in a certain mindset for anything they do, myself included. You are at an age where you can think critically, but are still open-minded enough to imagine possibilities that Albedo or myself might not consider and that's why I would like to offer you a job as one of Nazarick's ambassadors."

Enri didn't know how to respond. In front of her was a being that seemed incredibly wise and magnanimous, yet was praising a simple village girl like herself. Not only that, she was being offered a position of leadership under said being. It was an unfathomable situation for someone like her.

Enri took a deep breath and spoke up, "If you think so highly of me Lord Sypher, I would be honored to take the position." Enri stood up and bowed deeply.

"Bahaha," Sypher's voice boomed with a hearty laugh. "While I'm glad you are so eager to join, I haven't even told you the benefits and conditions yet."

Enri's face blushed as she quickly sat down and tried to look away from Sypher.

"The job comes with a number of benefits. Firstly, we will be providing you with new living arrangements. It is still in the planning stages but I'll tell you what is decided. You'll be given a 4 room apartment with 2 beds and an office space for work. We will also cover food and any other expenses that you have. While I would like to pay you a salary, we still need to figure out our valuation of gold given state of the kingdom. Therefore if you want or need for any item, just let me or Albedo know and if it is within reason we'll get it for you. Do those terms sound fair?"

Enri was speechless. The benefits were amazing. They would get a new place to live with their own beds, wouldn't have to prepare their own food or do chores, and would be given whatever they asked for. To Enri, it sounded like she was being given the chance to live the life of a noble.

"Those are more than fair. I am grateful for your extreme generosity Lord Sypher," Enri bowed and motioned for Nemu to follow.

"Good. Now there is one last thing to deal with. Albedo will you please step outside, Enri and I will join you in a minute," Sypher said.

"As you wish my lord," Albedo said with a quick bow as she stood up and left the building.

"Enri, there is one more reason why I wanted you specifically for this job," Sypher said while taking a breath to collect his thoughts. "I was hoping you and Albedo could eventually be friends."

"Friends my lord?" Enri asked questioningly.

"Yes. In Ainz Ooal Gown, she has the highest authority behind myself and Ainz. You can imagine this might create some distance. In addition, her previous duties normally kept her quite busy and unable to make friends. While Albedo seems quite cold at first, she does have the same feelings and emotions that you have. Just no one to talk to them about it. I was hoping if she could make some friends, she would be happier. Depending on how things go, I'll have Ainz send over some others from Nazarick that you might also end up befriending"

Enri gave a warm smile with a tear in the corner of her eye. "While I'm deeply grateful for this opportunity I can't promise I'll be able to befriend everyone, I'll definitely give it my best shot though!"

"I'm glad you are on board. And don't worry, remember, no need to force anything. Just ease into it over time, maybe try to strike up some casual conversation with her," Sypher said with a smile. "Oh yeah, one last thing. Let's keep this last conversation and Ainz Ooal Gown's history between us. I'd rather not let too much information get public too quickly."

"Of course my lord," Enri said with a bow. With her previous nervousness was now gone, she smiled and puffed up her chest with pride. She turned to Nemu, "Nemu, I'm going to need you to stay here, for now, I'll be back later okay?"

Nemu hugged her sister's leg while nodding and retreated to the bedroom

Enri and Sypher stepped outside and met up with Albedo. As they were about to move on, Sypher had an idea. "Hey Enri, do you still have those horns that Ainz gave you?"

"Yes, I keep them by me at all times along with the necklace you gave me Lord Sypher," Enri said pulling out the horns and the golden necklace.

A slight grunt could be heard when Enri pulled out the necklace and Albedo's wings were visibly shaking, not with nervousness or fear, but what Sypher could tell was pent-up jealousy.

 _"Albedo can you hear me," Sypher said over [Message]._

 _"Yes my lord. But why contact me through message?"_

 _"Good, I ask that you not think too much about the fact that she received that item directly from me. I merely needed a communication link with someone here until you were ready to assist me."_

" _Of course, as expected of you my lord. Not only did you plan ahead, you were able to read my thoughts and quickly correct an error in my simple-minded judgment," Albedo said respectfully with a hint of admiration. "I apologize for not being ready sooner and making you give such a valuable item out."_

" _Do not worry, you had more important tasks to perform as overseer of the guardians. Also, the item is of trivial value. It was of no use to me since it is too low level for anyone in Nazarick," Sypher said with a mental hand wave._

" _As expected of you my lord," Albedo said letting her former empty facial expression slip into a smile._ Sypher cut off the message.

 _It's a good thing I spent the extra effort to learn more about Albedo,_ he thought to the first time returning from the village, Sypher took half a day to take a detailed look through her settings with Ainz. He also used some of his assassin skills to follow Albedo and see how she reacts to different situations. _It's not stalking. Any good leader would take the effort to learn about his subordinates' behavior,_ Sypher thought to himself trying to justify his actions.

Meanwhile, Enri was just staring at them in confusion. To her, Sypher and Albedo just stopped moving and were holding their hand up to their temple. After a minute, the two snapped back to reality.

"Sorry about that, a slight issue came up that I wanted to address," Sypher said turning back to Enri.

Enri just nodded in response deciding to not think any further on it.

"Now regarding the horns, I want you to use one. If I remember correctly, it should summon around 20 goblins of various classes. Based on the strength of people in this world, each one should be stronger than the average adventurer and all of them will be completely loyal to their summoner."

"Why would you have me summon them then. Wouldn't it be more appropriate if you or Lady Albedo used it?" Enri asked concerned she would not be able to live up to the responsibility.

 _That is a good point. The real reason for testing is to see how monsters summoned through items will act and how long they will last. I can't tell her that. Crap, I need to think of an excuse fast,_ Sypher thought to himself. "Ahem. Albedo please explain why I want her specifically to summon them."

"Of course my lord," Albedo said with a bow. She turned to Enri, "Lord Sypher has entrusted you with the item because he wishes to test your abilities."

"Test my abilities?" Enri asked confused again.

"Yes. If a supreme being such as himself chooses a mere human to directly report to him, he must see potential in you. In his infinite wisdom, he is testing you to see whether you are worthy of serving him," Albedo said with a stoic expression.

 _Where the hell did she pull that from? Ah whatever, let's roll with it._ Sypher cleared his throat. "Ahem. Albedo is correct. While you will have the goblin's undying loyalty, it means nothing if you squander their abilities. I want to see how you use their skills to improve the lives of your friends and family while strengthening the newly formed Sorcerous Kingdom," Sypher said while turning away to hide the fact that he was talking out of his ass.

"Then I shall not fail you, Lord Sypher," Enri said with a proud bow. She took one of the horns and blew it.

Sypher looked around and inspected the goblins. As he suspected, the goblins averaged to level 15 and there were 19. Some of them appeared to be casters with the majority being warriors. _It'll be interesting to see if they end up becoming more than just guards. Albedo's idea turned out to be pretty interesting,_ Sypher said with a grin.

"Now, I have some other tasks to attend to so I'll be back in 2 to 3 hours. Use that time to familiarize yourself with the Goblins. Also Albedo, please fill Enri in on the farming and steel technology that I introduced yesterday. I would recommend taking her to see them in person and giving a detailed explanation."

"As you wish Lord Sypher," Enri and Albedo said with a bow.

* * *

With that, Sypher used a _flight necklace_ to fly into the forest so he could be alone for a while. _I guess I'll check in with Demiurge to see how he is doing with spying. If I recall correctly, Ainz and Pandora's actor were supposed to go to E-Rantel today, he thought to himself._

 _[Message]_

" _Demiurge, is that you?"_

" _Yes lord Sypher, how may I be of service?"_

" _Give me a status report on your actions and any of our members out of the Tomb."_

" _Of course, Sebas and Yuri recently left to the kingdom's capital, Re-Estize, to serve as our information gatherers, Sebas should be able to adequately fit in with the humans," Demiurge responded._

" _I agree that was a good choice," Sypher said. Suddenly he remembered something._

" _You honor me with your words," Demiurge responded practically bowing over voice._

" _A small message to pass on to Sebas. I believe one of the humans we met in the village is in their capital. Please tell Sebas to look out for someone called Gazef Stronoff. He is the Kingdom's head warrior. If he happens to meet Gazef, tell him to let Gazef know that Ainz Ooal Gown would like an audience with the king," Sypher said with a devious grin._

" _I will pass on your message, lord."_

" _Next topic, do you also happen to know what Ainz is doing at the moment?" Sypher said._

" _I do, he's with Pandora's Actor in E-Rantel. They're posing as adventurers, Lord Ainz is portraying the magic caster Momon and Pandora's Actor is copying your assassin form and posing as a ranger under the name Zen."_

Sypher couldn't explain why, but he was displeased that another Döppelganger was copying one of his forms, he shrugged it off as being a deeply rooted reflex of his new species.

" _Speaking of Ainz, do you have any idea how his research is progressing," Sypher asked changing the topic again._

" _I'm afraid not, I know Mare has taken over the project with help from Lupusregina and Narberal, but since they report directly to lord Ainz I haven't been made aware of any advancements"_

" _I see, Demiurge I'm sorry to put more work on your plate, but I need someone to scry the forest between us and the slane theocracy If we're ever attacked it would be good to at least know the layout.", or at least that's what Punitto Moe would've done, I think_

" _To think the supreme beings would have such foresight, I shall start immediately my lord."_

After Sypher cut off the message to Demiurge, he was about to head back to the village when he remembered something. He realized he had forgotten to ask Tomas to get Gypsum at E-Rantel. _Fuuuuuck._ As one of the components of cement, it would be problematic if he didn't have any. _I recall hearing there was a lake nearby. Depending on the mountain it flows in from I might be able to find some deposits,_ he thought to himself.

Sypher quickly donned a suit of armor from his inventory that gave a number of perks. Firstly, it provided underwater breathing and night vision. Secondly, it gave a swimming boost and created a hydrophobic layer around him. He also equipped a battle-axe and went for a dive. While a pickaxe or an actual mining tool would have been better, he had nothing like that in his inventory. So he opted for the closest thing which was a battle-axe.

After looking around for almost an hour, Sypher found a deposit of Gypsum near the mouth of the river. _It's small but should be enough. It's only 2% of the cement, after all,_ he thought to himself. After collecting the Gypsum, he stored it in his pocket dimension and headed back to the village. It had been a bit over 2 hours since he had left and after walking around for a bit, he found Albedo and Enri walking away from the workshop.

* * *

"I'm guessing Albedo has finished catching you up on the advancements?" Sypher asked with a grin.

"Yes indeed. It's all so amazing Lord Sypher! How did you manage to come up with these machines," Enri asked with eyes of wonder.

"Well, let's just say several lifetimes worth of knowledge combined with powerful magic is quite a sight to see indeed."

Sypher nostalgically reflected on the advancements of his civilization of origin, while Enri took his answer to mean that Sypher had seen many civilizations rise and fall over the course of hundreds of years, maybe even a thousand by now, the thought of Sypher having come from a parallel world didn't even cross her mind.

"Where are the goblins?"

"I had them standby at my house for the time being. I thought it would cause less trouble if they didn't follow me around for now," Enri replied.

"Okay. Now then, I'm going to be introducing a couple new things today so follow me," Sypher said while walking back towards the village square.

The three figures walked to the center of the village and stopped until Sypher raised his hand at one of the people.

"Tomas there you are, I'm going to need to borrow you for a bit. I have something new to show you," Sypher said after Tomas had walked over.

"Of course my lord. I am free anytime you ask," Tomas said with a bow.

"Good, I need you to get some of the materials you purchased from E-Rantel. Gather all the limestone, some clay, the slag from the steel mill, a few buckets of water, a couple of the reinforced steel trays from the workshop, a few large hammers, a few shovels, some wooden planks and 4 strong hands. We'll meet you at the workshop.

"Right away my lord," Tomas bowed and ran off to gather all the materials and people.

"Albedo and Enri, let's get going. Albedo, you're going to help me set up some of the equipment we brought from Nazarick," Sypher said while starting to walk.

"What should I do Lord Sypher?" Enri asked running behind him.

"For now just watch. Most of the setup work is pretty intense manual labor which is why I asked Albedo to help. She is much stronger than she looks," Sypher replied.

The three returned to the workshop and Sypher cleared another area about 20 feet by 20 feet. While Sypher was clearing out the area and making markings in the ground, Albedo pulled out the floating car with a strange looking cylinder with holes perforated on the sides and 2 smaller hexagonal extrusions on both sides. She then pulled four large steel tripods with two of them having 2-inch diameter hexagonal bearings pressed into top attachments. One of the tripods had a large crank attached to the main pole. The other two had curved rollers on top. (1)

Sypher looked over the cylinder from before and unscrewed a lid that blended seamlessly into the body. The inner cross-section revealed an inner tube section with a diameter of 4 inches with a half an inch thick wall which looked like it was made of hardened black clay. On the outside of that circle, there was an empty section that had a thickness of about 4 inches. The inner section was bonded to the bottom cap and had several pole supports connected to the outside wall. The outside wall was made of the black clay with a thin steel sheet on both faces of the wall. The entire assembly had a length of about 4 feet. After inspecting the assembly for damage, he hoisted it to rest on top of the curved rollers. As he was doing this Tomas had returned with all the materials and 4 other people. (2)

"My lord I gathered the people you requested and all the materials, but what is all this equipment being set up?" Thomas asked.

"This is a way to produce concrete," Sypher said still continuing to work.

"Concrete? If I may ask, what is that my lord?"

Sypher put down the tripod he was fiddling with and turn to the others. "Ah, I guess you haven't heard of it in this world. Well, it is hard to explain exactly what it is, but I guess you could compare it to bricks. It is as strong as clay fired bricks, fireproof, can be waterproof, is more versatile, and is exponentially cheaper. You'll see more over the next few hours as we make some."

"How incredible! I haven't even heard tales of the dwarves making a material like this!", Thomas said enthusiastically.

"I'll go through the process like the steel production but it is a bit more sensitive so I'll need your help with some of the manual labor," Sypher said to the group.

"First thing is to make what is called cement. It is a mix of limestone, clay, and a small amount of this rock called Gypsum." Sypher pulled out a handful of a milky white crystal from his pocket dimension.

"The first thing is to crush the limestone into the pebble size particles. The same thing with the clay but go for gravel size particles," Sypher said as he emptied the clay and limestone into two different steel trays. While he referred to them as trays, they were around 3 feet by 3 feet with 8-inch tall walls, making them more open-faced boxes than trays. "Albedo, help me out here. Use the hammer to crush the limestone, I'll handle the clay," Sypher said while handing a hammer to Albedo.

"Lord Sypher, you need not worry about it. We'll grind up the materials," Thomas said while taking a step forward. The other people followed him.

"While I appreciate the assistance, it is fine. This would normally take a little while so Albedo and I will do it this once to speed things up," Sypher said while turning to the materials.

With a fervent pace, Sypher and Albedo smashed the piles of rocks before them quicker than what the humans thought imaginable.

For a second the thoughts of all the villagers were the same, _How could such a beautiful woman be so amazingly strong!?_

As Albedo and Sypher were finishing up, Albedo's hammer decided it had enough and snapped in half. Luckily, no one was injured but the shock of the humans only increased.

Sypher produced a hearty laugh. "Sorry about the hammer, I'll make a new one later. For now, let's move on with the demonstration."

The witnesses could only stare and nod.

"The next step is to heat the material to form clinker, it's simply a combination of limestone and cement. Depending on your purpose, the ratio will for said combination will vary but for now let's say a 4:1 ratio of clay to limestone, understand?", Sypher said while holding up his finger in the same manner as a school teacher. The villagers that were gathered could only nod.

"For future reference, this assembly is called the rotary kiln. It is similar to a normal kiln; it is faster and more fuel efficient, but it has fewer uses at the moment. Put the limestone and clay mixture into the inner section. Don't fill it more than half way so the material has a chance to combine. After that, fill the outer cavity with coal. Make sure to pack the coal all the way across using pokers or something similar. I'll need your assistance here for the loading."

Thomas and the four others he brought with him started following Sypher's instructions and carefully loading the rotary kiln with limestone, clay, and coal. Even with 5 people, the process took almost 20 minutes. _I'll need to improve the design later,_ thought Sypher pressing the bridge of his nose trying to plan out solutions for the major design flaws.

With the kiln loaded, Tomas lit the coal and the chamber started to heat up. Sypher spoke up, "good. Now that it is heating, one person will need to rotate it and check on its progress. You don't want the materials to melt or start creating big lumps. It should just turn hot enough so they turn red hot and the materials combine together to form pebble sized lumps. The person who is turning should also monitor the material to see when it is done. You can pull on the tripod to easily open the lid without burning yourself," Sypher said opening and closing the pipe to show off the motion.

"Also, make sure to use the handle on the other side to turn it. While one person should be able to turn it, it can get quite tiresome so after a few trial runs we can replace it with a skeleton worker."

One of the villagers stepped forward and started to turn the kiln while Sypher continued to speak. "While he is doing that, we need to prepare to some things to other things to demonstrate how to use the concrete. To do this, we'll be making 2 lidless wooden boxes." Sypher pulled out the sword that he kept at his waist and drew a 12-inch by 6-inch rectangle in the dirt.

"Make the inside of the box as big as that and as tall as the length of your palm. If we want it to be done in an hour, should one or two people be enough?" Sypher asked Tomas.

"We'll probably need two people, my lord," Tomas replied.

"That's fine I guess. The heating should take at least another 10 to 15 minutes, so I'm willing to answer some questions on what I've shown you so far."

Tomas spoke up, "Lord Sypher, for the steel production you lent us several monsters to help with the manual labor and heating. Will you be providing more or do I need to gather some people to regularly operate the process."

Sypher paused a few seconds as if collecting his thoughts before answering. "I can probably get you a couple skeletons to do the turning, hammering, any simple motions you require; however, a person will still need to be here to monitor the process and verify the loading of material is done properly. The human operator will also need to command the skeletons to start and stop as needed because they are not intelligent."

"Regarding heating, you will have to use coal or something else. The fire elemental isn't a cheap summon and is also quite dangerous for normal people. Once we manage to develop better fuel sources I plan to remove the fire elemental from the steel production as well. Hopefully, you understand."

Tomas thought for a minute imagining how he would organize this process before bowing. "I understand my lord. I thank you for the generosity you and his majesty have shown by lending us these monsters."

Sypher nodded in response. Before Tomas could ask another question the person that was operating the rotary kiln walked up to the group.

"My apologies for interrupting you my lord, but the limestone is turning red like you said it would," the man said with a curt bow.

 _Huh, that was fast. I guess this is a lot less material than most automation setups would process,_ Sypher thought to himself while heading to the opening of the kiln. True to the message, the limestone had become red hot. It was hard to tell if the mixture homogenized at first glance due to the similar particle size. He took one of the pokers and removed one of the pieces. After tapping at it a few times with the poker, he saw some material start to flake off. _Even while hot, limestone shouldn't flake. I guess it is safe to assume it bonded._

"It is indeed done. Everyone take a look at the material inside to see how it should look like. Be careful not to get burnt," Sypher said motioning to the open-lidded kiln.

After everyone present took a look inside the kiln, Sypher motioned to Albedo. "Albedo, go ahead and tilt the kiln to empty the contents,"

Albedo nodded and effortlessly lifted the kiln to dump the red-hot rocks into a tray. The humans were still in disbelief at her strength but seemed to be getting used to it.

Sypher reached into his inventory and grabbed a few milky crystals. He weighed it in his hand and inspected it before tossing into the pile.

"Right, Albedo go ahead and crush this down into a powder. Tomas, intermittently stir the material while she is crushing it," Sypher turned to Albedo before continuing. "Albedo, make sure you pause every few hits to give him a chance to mix."

"As you wish my lord," Albedo replied with a neutral expression.

The two got to work crushing and mixing the powder and the end result was a fine grey dust. Sypher reached down to feel the dust with his fingers and then stood back up. He turned back to the group with a grin. "We now have cement. It is arguably the most difficult material to produce for concrete. The rest is easy."

Sypher paused and thought to himself for a few minutes. "The next part is a bit tricky because we don't have an exact weighing system. It'll be easier to do in the future. Get enough water so it weighs about half as much as cement produced. Also get three times as much sand and twice as much slag as the weight of the cement. If you don't have enough slag just bring what you can. The last item is steel rods. I believe the guys at the steel plant should have produced some yesterday so grab whatever stock they managed to make."

Everyone present but Albedo and Sypher went to attempt to weight the cement and gather the materials.

"Right Albedo, your main responsibilities for the next couple weeks will be to oversee this production and make sure it stays on schedule. Work with Tomas and Edmond to delegate the work. Also, I will set a few hard rules. One, don't make any of the people work more than 8 hours a day. Until we get a healer and lighting setup here, I think it would be better if we only had them work during daylight hours. Two, they are allowed 1 hour around noon for a lunch break. Three, each worker will be given 1 Yggdrasil gold coin every 2 days. Tomas and Edmond can be given 1 every day for their salary. Also, if raw material needs to be purchased, I will provide the funds if they log everything they need to buy and how much it will cost," Sypher reached into his inventory and handed Albedo a bag of gold coins.

"But Lord Sypher, I cannot simply give these away, and to mere humans no less. These items are given directly to me by you, a supreme being," Albedo protests.

Sypher let out a heavy sigh. "Albedo it is fine. It is only right to reward those who do good work. The humans place a high value on this gold coin as a form of money so it is convenient to give out."

"I understand my lord. Forgive me for my ignorance," Albedo said bowing with a hint of sadness on her face.

"Of course, you are doing excellent work as well so I will be rewarding you as well. I'm just not sure what to get you considering you have no use for coins as a denizen of Nazarick. Thus, let me know if you want anything and if it is in my power I shall grant it for you," Sypher said with a smile.

"Lord Sypher, it is enough of an honor that I get to serve a supreme being such as yourself."

"Like I said before, it is only proper to reward good work. Ask for whatever you want."

"Very well my lord, I shall let you know at a later date if that is acceptable. I would like some time to think," Albedo said with a bow.

"That is acceptable."

By the time they finished the conversation, the villagers were starting to return with the materials. The two people who had been constructing the boxes returned as well. Sypher looked over the materials and picked them up to get a feel for the weight. He put all the materials down and spoke.

"Right. Now that we have all the materials we can begin the mixing. The first thing is the steel bars. While this is not a component of concrete, it makes the structures significantly stronger." Sypher grabbed the steel rods and began to separate them into several pieces. After he had 7 different pieces, he began to bond them into a grid pattern with the tips of each rod pointing down so if the bars were placed down they would be suspended off the ground. "To demonstrate the difference in strength, I'll only place the steel in one of the blocks. For future reference, this type of bar is known as rebar. It has ridges on it to help grab the concrete."

After placing the bar mesh into one of the wooden boxes he continued, "Now we create the concrete. First, in goes the cement." Sypher evenly split up the cement and them into the wooden boxes.

"Next pour the sand and slag in. I'm using a 1:3:2 ratio of cement, sand, and slag right now. I would recommend tweaking with it and experimenting for better combinations going forward."

"The final step is to add the water in. Now, this is where you need to pay attention. After adding half the weight of cement in water, it will form a thick mixture. Two people will need to vigorously mix the mixture and then they should pack it down and smooth out the concrete to get rid of any air bubbles."

Tomas and the four helpers grabbed some of the shovels and stood in front of the two boxes ready to stir. Two to the regular box and three to the box with steel in it. As soon as the water hit, they started to stir.

They were immediately surprised by how thick the mixture had become. It almost didn't feel like a liquid.

 _Incredible, it feels like the water is turning into stone,_ the four seemed to think at the same time.

After a few minutes of stirring, the mixture was starting to even out and they patted the material down. Once they were confident it was smooth, Sypher took a shovel and ran it over the material trying to feel for pockets. Satisfied there were no pockets, he put the shovel down.

"Well, it seems like it should be fine. Now you just need to let it sit and harden. Normally this process will take a day to properly solidify and up to a week to strengthen because all the water needs to evaporate. During this time you shouldn't have to monitor it and as long as nothing steps in it, it'll cure fine. For the purposes of this demonstration, I'll use magic so it'll be cured in a few hours. You guys can break for lunch and come back here in a few hours. Tomas, get an axe, a hammer, and a brick when you come back."

Everyone nodded and then headed back to the village.

 _I'll need to pull the water out slowly so as to not crack it. I don't think I have any spells for that so someone else will have to do it. I think one of the Pleiades could probably do it._ Sypher thought to himself.

Sypher messaged Shalltear and had her send over Narberal Gamma through [Gate].

"Narberal, I need you to cast [Dehydrate] to slowly pull the water out of these blocks. I will be monitoring them to see if they crack and will tell you to slow down if needed.

"As you wish my lord," she replied in her usual stoic, but due to the unusual request also puzzled manner.

After an hour and a half of on and off casting, Sypher was satisfied with the results. They might not have been completely cured but they should be good enough. The reinforced one should for sure be stronger than a brick. "Thank you for your assistance Narberal, you may return to Nazarick now.", Sypher said while looking closely at the resulting mixture.

"Happy to be of service my lord", teleporting back to Nazarick as she said so.

After the concrete hardened, Sypher noticed the people starting to return. After everyone had returned, Sypher turned the wooden boxes over and started to remove them using the axe that was brought over. "Normally it should be easier to remove, but because the drying was sped up with magic it is sticking more than normal," Sypher said making sure to inform those present of the reasons behind actions to avoid any unnecessary damage in the future.

After removing the wooden frames, he placed the two concrete blocks and the brick in a line. "Now, I invite you to test the materials out; hit it with a hammer, drop it, do whatever you want to test out the strength of the material. Tomas and the others tested the concrete by throwing stones at it, trying to drop it and some simply tried to break it with their bare hands, Sypher likened the scene to old slapstick cartoons and couldn't help letting out a chuckle.

The villagers quickly found that the regular concrete was just as strong as the bricks if not stronger when being dropped due to the fact that it was bigger. They were truly shocked when it came to the concrete with steel in it. Whereas the bricks and regular concrete snapped almost immediately after a few heavy hits, the reinforced one did not. The reinforced concrete did start to crack, however, they were not able to break with a single person. It took three people hitting at the same time over several trials to crack it in half. Each individual hit was a lot harder as well.

While this was happening Sypher was just grinning away like a child basking in the glory of his achievements. "Well, you've seen the strengths of this and it is far cheaper to produce. I'm sure you can imagine making walls, buildings, and roads out of this just as cheaply as with wood."

Tomas nodded in agreement. _This material opens up a whole new world of possibilities. If we get a steady supply of limestone and sand, we can end up turning this village into a fortified city within a year. The kiln was also made without magic so we could probably make more of them and increase the production as needed,_ he thought to himself almost giddy from the possibilities.

"Also I forgot to mention this, there is a way to make this even stronger in the future. We could probably make walls that even trolls would have trouble breaking through," Sypher added in.

Tomas and Enri gulped at that statement. The thought they could build walls to defend against powerful demihumans was new to them.

Sypher stretched his arms and spoke up. "Well, for now, I suppose that is enough. I'll probably come back sometime in the next couple days to a week to start planning how to turn this place into more of a city. Tomas, I want you to get more people familiar with this process and produce a regular supply of cement. You can store the materials for concrete indefinitely and make them on an as need basis. I'll send over the skeletons to help with labor later. Work with Albedo and Edmond on schedule as needed."

"I won't fail you, Lord Sypher," Tomas replied with a bow.

"Enri regarding your job, that's all for today. You are free to do as you wish. I'll be back in the next couple days to oversee the construction of your new living quarters."

Enri nodded and bowed in response.

"Albedo. Unfortunately, I'm going to need you to stay here a bit longer. I want you to get to know the villagers a bit more and talk with the chief about the management structure currently in place. I've already informed him about your position so it should go over smoothly," Sypher said.

"No worries Lord Sypher. I am happy to serve," Albedo responded with a bow and smile.

Sypher nodded. And with that he bade Albedo farewell and made his way back to Nazarick, choosing to fly and enjoy the scenery of their new kingdom rather than teleport straight to his room.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed the chapter. As usual, leave a review if you have any questions or comments. Let me know how you like the step by step approach to tech development; is it too slow, too confusing, etc... Also, if enough people want, I can post some schematics on how the machines fit together if anyone knows how to publish images on fanfiction._

(1): Google image search "industrial roller"

(2): It's basically just a tube within a tube. Based on a modern rotary kiln just simpler to make.


End file.
